Of Vices and Virtues
by distswim13
Summary: After being separated during the war against Souske Aizen, Toshiro and Ichigo travel the earth looking to reunite with the other half of their souls, knowing that time is running out before the inevitable battle to stop the tipping of the balance that keeps creation alive. AU. MATURE/SEXUAL CONTENT.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Hello there! So, for anyone familiar with my writing, this story is a slight deviation from what is typical of my style. Not only is it the first fantasy piece I have ever written, it is significantly more sexually and violently explicate than anything I've ever attempted. All comments and feedback are welcomed and encouraged, as it lets me know how I'm doing. There will lots and lots of IchiRuki and HitsuHina in this piece, so sit back and enjoy!

 **Of Vices and Virtues: Prolouge**

If you think about it, humans are perhaps the most arrogant, dim-witted and overall close-minded species in the universe. As a whole, the entire species believes that everything and anything is theirs for the taking.

I would know. I once watched as a grove of trees were cut down to make room for a mediocre strip mall and a movie theater.

It is a human's belief that such an action is called progress. This strip mall featured twenty new stores, a food court and three luxury restaurants. Humans see this as progress, jobs and economic contribution. I see it as greed, gluttony and waste.

I knew a small family of chipmunks that resided in those woods. I don't know what happened to them. I probably don't want too.

The other main issue I have with humans- other than their complete disregard for their planet- is the common human principle that they are the most advanced species in the galaxy and could possibly be alone.

This theory makes me laugh, really.

I would pay an obscene amount of money to have a picture of the faces of the world's most brilliant minds if they were informed that humans were, as far as dominating species of their respective planets go, the furthest behind anyone else. Hell, humans have yet to make contact with a single neighboring planet. Amateurs.

This is probably about the time where I clarify a few things. The first, this is not a story about aliens. I am not an alien, I've never been an alien, nor, if I am being perfectly honest, have I ever been a huge fan of most aliens.

No, I am most certainly not an alien and you are reading a story that is most certainly not like most you've read.

For one, it's being written by me. I like to think that I possess a certain je ne sais quoi that makes you want to cling to every next word. It's a talent, I suppose. For another, this is a story, unlike the majority of those you have read, has actually happened. I won't waste your times creating characters just to have them torn away with the most violent deaths my mind can create. This story is all about living, breathing people and the very real obstacles we have faced.

The last thing is that none of these people are actually people.

I look like a human, act like a human and live like a human, but just like I have never been an alien, I have never been a human.

This is the point in time where I feel like I should present you with a small, albeit detailed, summary of the history of my people.

The world you live in as you read this now, probably on a computer or a smartphone, exists on the principle of balance. Where there is light, there must be dark. Only half of the earth may face the sun at one time. Where there is happiness there must be sadness. Where there is love, there is lost.

Where there is good, there is evil.

This is just the way of things. Balance is vital to keeping the entire universe alive. Yin and yang. Push and pull. Light and dark. Fire and ice.

The Creator knew this when he first brought life to planets among the stars. As he continued to shape the universe as he desired, he began to realize that achieving this oh so important balance was a task that even such a divine being as himself could not handle alone. That is when he thought of us. Using the power of thirteen of the most brilliant stars, we were created.

We have no official name other than our individual ones. Each planet has their own nickname for us.

You humans call us gods. I detest this title greatly. I am not a god. If anyone deserves this title, it is the Creator.

Among ourselves, we call ourselves Lightbringers I prefer this. We bring life to the worlds by keeping them in balance. Without us, the delicate scale of the universe would tip and entire planets would cease to exist.

There are thirteen Lightbringer pairs that rein over thirteen specific attributes of balance. One partner of the pair resides over the dark side of the attribute, the other over the light.

Now, here is where a common misconception occurs. This misconception has been driven by countless fables and tales where the beings who rule some of the more... negative aspects of the world are evil themselves. This is nonsense. None of us are evil. If we control a darker aspect of the world, it is not because we like it. We don't get pleasure from the suffering of mortals. We simply accept that is how it must be.

I would know. I reside over the dark half of my own select attribute of balance.

For millennia, we have controlled the worlds, keeping them in a delicate balance. Little did we know that true evil was among us.

He wasn't a Lightbringer. I'm not entirely sure what he was, but I know what he desired to be. He desired to be God. A true God of the universe.

Armed with an army of mutated beings whose souls had been removed and large, empty hole had filled their place, this being attempted to put an end to the Lightbringers. Of all the enemies I have encountered, this being- who I will reference henceforth as a man, for this is the form he chooses to take- was the most powerful by far. With his mind games and army, he managed to take down the remote retreat of the Lightbringers in the heavens, Seireitei, forcing us to flee for our lives.

At the last minute, the great Creator manifested us each a mortal body and sent us to hide in the planet where we would attract the least attention. Earth. Humans had yet to make contact with any extraterrestrial life so we knew the chances of our true nature being discovered were little to none.

As we fled to Earth, we were once again ambushed by the great enemy and his army. After fighting for our lives, we managed to narrowly escape, but not with complications.

We were separated. Each and every Lightbringer pair was separated from each other as we crash landed on Earth. Only after years of searching did I manage to find another Lightbringer. He is not my partner and I am not his. We wander Earth searching to be reunited with the other half of our souls. Only then may we have the power to fight the evil growing in the lair of Hueco Mundo.

Now that you know my history, I should introduce you to the main players of this story.

My companion goes by the human name of Ichigo Kurosaki. As a Lightbringer he was known as Zangetsu. He is the keeper of darkness and protection.

He will not rest until he finds his partner, the keeper of light and sacrifice.

My human name is Toshiro Hitsugaya. As a Lightbringer I was known as Hyorinmaru, the keeper of the moon and winter.

I will not rest until I find my partner, the keeper of the summer and sun.

And so our story begins.

A/N: I'm quite proud of this so far. Let me know what you think!


	2. Chapter 2

"Oh my god, we should have stayed in Europe," Ichigo said as a door was slammed behind us. "I mean, what kind of country requires you to be 21 to drink? Blasphemy!"

"I don't know why you are complaining," I said curtly. " _You're_ not the one in the seventeen year old body."

Ichigo looked at me, still clearly pissed that we had been asked to leave the bar. "Yeah, but still, I'm not gonna go in there and drink alone while you sit outside like a dog in a car waiting for their owner."

"Except I'm not your dog and you are certainly not my owner," I growled. Ichigo had this amazing ability to weave small little comments into everyday conversation that picked fun at my size.

He claims he isn't aware of when he does it. He also claims he isn't a lying bastard.

It's not my fault that the mortal body I was given is like this. Personally, I despise it. I didn't ask to look like a teenager with spiky white hair that stood out in any crowd. But this is how I am, so I'll just have to deal with it.

It could be worse, really. Ichigo's hair is a bright shade of orange. He looks like a traffic cone.

"Look, we will just go to Urahara and have him make new passports for you that have you age up a bit," Ichigo said.

"But Ichigo, it's easy for you to have an ID saying you are 22. You look 22. Me? I look 17. You really want to go through all this trouble just so we can drink?"

"Um, yes," Ichigo said seriously. He started walking down the sidewalk we were currently loitering on and headed to our nearby hotel. "If I have to be stuck in this body, I will indulge in the few great things humans have figured out. No one, and I mean no one, does liquor like earth."

He was right, of course, but I wasn't going down without a fight.

"Besides," Ichigo said as we continued to stroll along in the night air. "You're gonna need it. We're going to Vegas."

"Vegas?" I asked. "Why Vegas? Please don't tell me it's just for partying."

Ichigo shrugged. "I just feel like going to Vegas. The rest are just perks."

Along with his incredible ability to remind me of my less than ideal height, Ichigo had another talent that made him unique. This power had no name, for I'm not sure it was not actually a power, but was closer to just sheer intuition. Whatever the case, the usefulness of this instinct could not be denied. He had realized that if he simply followed his mind's every whim and fantasy that he was eventually lucky enough to be in just the right place at the right time. I entertain him because he has an incredibly good track record.

The morning Ichigo and I had discovered each other, he had woken up from his hotel room in uptown Kyoto with an irregularly strong desire to stroll among plum trees. This lead him to the public park where I often found myself taking my morning walk.

A few months later, he succeeded again. We were in London when he walked into a random candy store in a random mall. The owner of the store was a man currently known as Kisuke Urahara.

We know him as Benihime, the keeper of intelligence.

For our limit knowledge, Urahara was the first Lightbringer to find and reunite with their pair. When I asked how he had found Yoruichi, he simply shrugged and said that he had just known. One look at her as she was strolling down the hallways in a public airport and he had been positive that she was the other half of his soul.

This made perfect sense to me. When I had first seen Ichigo, walking along with his ginger hair, I had known instantly that he was...different. That he was like myself.

So as soon as we had reached the privacy of our hotel suite, I decided to entertain Ichigo and call up Urahara.

"Morning, Toshiro," the voice said with a small chuckle. "Or should I say, good evening. You are, what, eight hours behind me now? How's America and more importantly what are you doing up at this hour?"

"Ichigo wanted to explore the bars."

"Of course he did," Urahara said with another laugh. "Now why are you calling? I doubt it's to retell a thrilling night of drinks and girls."

"See, that's the thing," I said simply. "America requires you to be 21 to legally drink and Ichigo has a... a feeling that we need to be in Las Vegas. Do you know anyone here that can give me an idea to age me up a bit?"

"You and your baby face," Urahara said, ignoring my growl. "Yeah, yeah I do. I'll contact them later today when they will be awake. You should have it within two days. Just don't leave Philadelphia until then."

"Excellent," I said. "Well, I'll be going now. Text me any information, you know I hate talking on the phone."

"Sound good. Goodbye Toshiro." Urahara said as he ended the call.

I looked over to Ichigo who was sprawled on one of the two queen beds in our hotel room. He was busy on his phone.

"I called Urahara. He said it should only be a day or two."

"Good," Ichigo said, finally removing his eyes from the small white screen. "I'm telling you Toshiro. We need to go to Vegas. Everything is drawing me there."

"At this point, I don't care who we find as long as we try and reunite more of us," Toshiro said. "We can't still be spread across a planet with six billion people when Aizen decides to attack again."

"Don't worry," Ichigo's voice had grown serious. "We will find them. We will find her. We will find her before he does."

"I... I just don't understand," I said as I began to kick off my shoes in frustration. "Why her? Of all of us? Why does he seem to want her?"

In the last battle, just outside the atmosphere of Earth, Aizen had used all his strength and willpower to try and capture my partner, the keeper of fire and the sun. Each day we were apart was another day I remained in agony, praying that I would locate her well before Aizen or his minions.

"You've heard my theories," Ichigo said with a sigh. "They haven't changed."

I ran my fingers through my thick white hair. "I just... I just can't let him get to Tobiume."

"Toshiro!" Ichigo quickly yelled. "Remember the rules."

"Sorry, it slipped. It doesn't help that we don't have any mortal names to go by."

"I know. It happens. Now I'm going to bed and you probably should too," Ichigo said as he shut off the lamp that was resting on the nightstand next to the bed.

Instead of further narrating the night, which consisted of myself barely sleeping as I tossed and turned with anxiety, I will take this opportunity to explain the three rules my people must follow when existing around mortals.

The first rule is simple. Never show them your powers. As a divine being, all of us had strength, endurance and agility far beyond those of humans. We could speak with animals. Individually, we all had abilities significant to the attribute of balance we governed over. Under no circumstance were these powers to be displayed in the presence of a human.

The second rule was to never draw attention to the fact that we couldn't eat. We could drink, oh could we drink, but physical substance in the form of food was not something we indulged in. Food made us sluggish and slow, hindering our reflexes. We drew our energy from the stars that had been used to create us. That was enough. Contrary to popular belief, this rule was perhaps the hardest of all to follow. A significant amount of human culture centered around meals, dining and cooking. It took cunning to convince those around you into realizing that you did not, in fact, eat the lasagna you had been served as fast as they believed you did.

Besides, have you seen lasagna? It's a pile of red and brown meat chunks. Award-winning or not, I'll pass.

The third rule was to never, and I mean never, reveal your true name. There is a reason we manifested with individuals identities.

The downside is no one else knew any of the other Lightbringers names. If we had, that would have they would simply be a Google away.

So until then, that leaves Ichigo and I to wander the earth in desperate hopes of finding someone, anyone just like ourselves. The only problem is they were just as good at blending into humanity as ourselves.

Of the eight months I have been stuck in this accursed body, it was only after Ichigo found me four months ago that I've actually managed to temporarily forget the sheer, utter, loneliness that has plagued my mind since this transformation.

Another of Ichigo's talents is distraction. He learned early that brooding over a situation we couldn't change was utterly utterly pointless. Instead,, he decided that if he was going to have to live as a human, then goddammit he was going to fucking live. When we weren't traveling randomly around the world, Ichigo made sure that life was filled with the best distractions humans had produced: alcohol, women and this wonderful service known as Netflix.

Of the many complaints I have regarding my mortal exterior, my level of attractiveness is not one of them. Everywhere Ichigo and I go, we encounter numerous women who find our looks mesmerizing.

Ichigo says we make women swoon. And boy, do they _swoon._

Women and liquor were a good way to pass the time, but at the end of night Ichigo and I always returned to the same thought and the same desire. We needed to find our other Lightbringers before Aizen did.

More specifically, we needed to find Tobiume before Aizen.

For as long as I could remember, Tobiume had been there with me. I was cold, she was warmth. We spent little time together in the heavens of Seireitei, both of us busy with managing our respective attributes of balance, but whenever I saw her, my day was instantly perfect.

It troubled me far greater than I would ever let on to Ichigo that Aizen had selected soft-spoken Tobiume as his main target. Neither of us could figure out why she was needed. Why did he want the keeper of the summer when he could be going after the keeper of war or the keeper of suffering? Wouldn't those be more up his alley of expertise?

It were these thoughts that motivated Ichigo and I too keep searching relentlessly. Distractions only worked for an hour or so. At the end of the day, we would not be complete until we were reunited with our partners once again.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: so the next chapter will be from Rukia's perspective. Additionally, for each pair, I have used their powers to group. Kubo typically makes this easy. Most of his more shipable pairs naturally have contrasting powers, like Ichigo's black bankai and Rukia's white. Some, I've had to get creative, so bear with me. Anyway, I hope you like it. I'm writing this more for myself than anything. I want to prove that I can, in fact, branch out a little from my typical style.

When I finally dozed off into a restless sleep, I found myself unceremoniously awoken by the sounds of Ichigo Kurosaki being... well Ichigo Kurosaki.

At this point, it may be a good idea for you to start getting accustomed to me listing out all the various attributes of my companion. Part of this is because, for some reason, Ichigo manages to have more unique quirks about him than anyone else I know combined.

The other part is that I need an outlet to complain.

As soon as Ichigo crash landed on earth with hair as orange as a carrot and a body as well built as an Olympian, he decided that if he were stuck on earth, he would need a few hobbies.

I've already recounted his love of alcohol and women; the hobby I am currently referring to is his strange fascination for martial arts.

I personally do not understand it myself. As Lightbringers, we have the strength to knock down buildings. We can run faster than the cars humans have so "brilliantly" designed can drive. Why Ichigo sees the need to study something as basic and trivial as martial arts is beyond me.

So there he was, awkwardly practicing his martial arts in nothing but a bathrobe he must have retrieved from the hotel bathroom.

"What the hell are you doing?" I asked him. "Do you know what time it is?"

"Six am," Ichigo said as he continued his practice. "Rise and shine princess!"

"Ugh," I groaned. "I slept so poorly last night. I don't need this."

"Oh shut up," Ichigo said, rolling his eyes. "Stop acting like you actually need to sleep."

He's right of course. Just like we don't need to eat, we don't really need to sleep. Ichigo sleeps because he enjoys it. I sleep because I once overheard a woman telling her young son that if he didn't take a nap, he would never grow up to be big and strong.

I'm not entirely sure it's working, but I tell myself I've gained a few centimeters anyway.

"But I like to sleep," I said with a sigh. Nevertheless, I knew Ichigo had won this argument and I got out of bed and proceeded to change into my clothes. "I'm going to go find some coffee. Would you like any?"

Ichigo shook his head. "Bring me back some tea instead. Green tea, preferably. It's good for cleansing your auras."

"You just made that up," I said as I went to grab my wallet off the desk.

Ichigo shrugged. "You can't prove that."

"Whatever," I said as I quickly left the room.

It was a beautiful spring day in downtown Philadelphia. Ichigo and I had chosen to fly into this city because of the heavy amounts of tourists that were constantly coming and going from America's first capital. We found that it was easier to travel to busier places. We attracted less attention that way. It wasn't like the attention we received was bad, per se, but two young, overly attractive men with oddly colored hair don't blend into crowds easily.

Unless the crowd is huge, of course.

So we prefer to stick to larger cities. London, Paris, Kyoto, Jakarta, Athens. I've been to them all. We try and never stay in a place for longer than two weeks. Not only does that aid our search for our companions, but it makes it easier that, in the event Aizen truly has sent his subordinates to track us on earth, we are harder to catch.

So I continued my stroll down the quaint little sidewalk. It was still rather early for a Saturday, so I met very few people as I wandered along. There were a few joggers, some dog walkers and a single cyclist along the road. Aside from that, I was by myself.

I headed to the first coffee shop my phone had located and walked on in. Instantly, my nostrils were filled with the soothing aroma of overpriced caffeine.

I love coffee. Possibly more than Ichigo loves alcohol.

I ordered mine and Ichigo's beverages from the barista who constantly blinked more times than necessary. If she believed this was an efficient way of flirting, she was sorely mistaken.

I bought the morning paper from a stand outside and sat down for a bit to read the headlines. I occasionally like to scan the affairs of humans. If there was anything ever… noteworthy... I would prefer to know immediately. Unfortunately, today's papers had no mention of any unexplained activity in any part of the world.

I finished by coffee and thanked the barista as I left the shop. I was just about to return to the hotel to give Ichigo his non-aura cleansing tea when my cell phone buzzed with a text message.

"2400 Third Street. Arrive at noon. Arrive Alone." It was from Urahara giving me details as to where I could get an updated ID.

When I walked into the hotel room, Ichigo had finished his martial arts for the day and was currently laying on the bed watching an episode of Friends.

"Here's your tea," I said as I handed it to him. "Also, I'll be getting my ID at noon."

"Good," said Ichigo. "I'll start to look up plane tickets." He then took a sip of the tea and immediately grimaced. 'What the hell Toshiro! It's cold."

I shrugged. "Can't help it."

My attribute of balance is one of those that is not easily summarized in a word or two. There are some, such as Minazuki and Nozarashi, the keeper of healing and the keeper of war, with clear domains. I reside over winter, the moon, the water, the snow and the cold.

They are all related, but I can't think of a category that encompasses them all perfectly. Traditionally, I am the keeper of the moon and winter. I like snow.

Officially, Tobiume is the keeper of the sun and summer but her preferred area of expertise is fire.

Never trust labels. They can be misleading.

In the end, I have a tendency to make what is in my environment a little... cold. It's not intentional. My powers over this particular attribute cannot be fully masked, even when trapped in this mortal body. This would be the official reason why it always rains or snows when I'm upset.

The unofficial reason is that it must be a mere coincidence. After all, even short, snowy haired humans can't control the weather.

By the time Ichigo had finished his lukewarm tea and I had taken a much needed shower, he had booked plane tickets to Las Vegas.

We get our money through the stock market. When you have talents as unique as ours, predicting market trends becomes relatively easy. Ichigo and I make a good living.

"Yo, Toshiro," he called out to me from the living room. "What hotel do you want to stay at?"

"One with a bed," I answered as I continued to get dressed.

"This is our first time going to Vegas," Ichigo said. "Why don't we splurge and get a suite? There's one at Caesars Palace for 800 dollars a night."

"Get whatever. I don't care."

"I'm booking it!" Ichigo said. I could hear the computer keys clack. "Alright done! I have two weeks in Vegas planned right now. We can change it as we go."

"Perfect," I said as I walked out of the bathroom fully dressed.

"It even has a living room and a kitchenette."

"Oh good, a kitchenette," I muttered. "So we can cook all the meals we don't eat."

I give Ichigo a hard time, but I truly enjoy his company. He's smart, resourceful and strong. His power is off the charts and if we were ever to get in a fight, there is no one else I would rather have by my side.

Except Tobiume, of course.

"Our flights leave tonight at six," Ichigo said. "I figured the sooner, the better."

Noon rolled around relatively quickly and I left Ichigo to pack our suitcases. Following the map on my phone, I arrived at the address Urahara had sent to me. The building was shabby and under kept, but I had no problem locating the door. Once inside, I was met by a dark haired man with glasses.

"Toshiro?" He asked, studying me.

"That's me," I said with a nod.

"Here." He handed me a manila envelope. "This has everything you will need. Passport, driver's license, birth certificate. All of it."

I nodded, thanking him.

"I would cut my right off if they get confiscated," the man continued. "I'm the best at what I do. You can guarantee the quality of these purchases."

"You were recommended by a reliable friend," I said. "I trust in your services."

I paid him and went on my way. Only once I had returned to the hotel room did I open the envelope. Sure enough, the documents were fully realistic.

"Nice," said Ichigo as he looked over my shoulder. "It says here your twenty-first birthday was a week ago. Perfect. That will be our story. Friends on vacation to celebrate you now being legal."

With that, Ichigo and I finished packing our bags. Little did we know what awaited for us in Las Vegas.


	4. Chapter 4

"AHHHHHHH!"

My eyes shot open as a blood-curling scream echoed through the night. I jumped out of bed and immediately headed to the room next door.

"NO! NO! STOP!"

"Momo!" I said as I reached the side of her bed. I placed an arm on each shoulder and began to shake her into consciousness. "Momo, wake up!"

Finally, her eyes flew open. They were wide and filled with unavoidable dread and pure terror. She was gasping for air. "Ru-Rukia."

"Shhh... Momo. I'm here, I'm here."

She sat up, her entire body trembling. I moved closer to her and enveloped her in a hug. I ran my fingers through her hair, desperately trying to bring her some sort of comfort.

"Rukia, it was him," she muttered as her eyes began to well up with tears. "It was Aizen. He's haunting me."

"No ones haunting you," I said as I pulled her closer. "It was just a bad dream."

"I keep seeing him." Momo said. By now her body was racking with sobs. "Why? Why me?"

"I don't know Momo," I said. "Was it the same dream?"

"Yes," Momo said though her tears. "It's always the same."

I knew the dream. Momo had recounted it half a dozen times.

When Aizen had attacked us outside of the earth's atmosphere, he had one target in mind. He had his minions descend and challenge the rest of the Lightbringers as he himself personally went after Momo. He had almost succeeded. At the last minute, a group of Lightbringers, my partner included, managed to break Aizen's hold of Momo. When she had gone hurtling down to Earth unconscious, I had raced after her. I managed to not only keep us together, but to tend to the wounds she had acquired from the battle. These wounds were made by a power equally as great as ours, but darker in nature. It was the first and only time I have heard of a Lightbringer obtaining an injury.

And injured, Momo was.

For the first month of our time on Earth, she remained asleep, trap in limbo. I was terrified- not so much that she would die. Her spirit, after all, is immortal. I was was terrified that she would remain in her comatose state until the end of this ordeal. Asleep, she was an easier target than awake.

I would never admit to myself that perhaps Aizen had the power to bring an immortal to their grave and Momo had been his ideal test subject.

When she finally opened her eyes, I was filled with relief. This relief was soon replaced with concern. The attack from Aizen had weakened her powers. This was fixable.

The damage in her mind and spirit was another story.

After a time, Momo began to regain her power slowly. By now, eight months after the encounter, she was almost at full strength. That did not stop her from being tormented with the ever-present fear of what had happened. She tried to hide it, but I have know Momo since the beginning of our creation. Whatever Aizen had done to her would leave her in terror until his demise.

The nightmares did not help. My biggest blessing was that they were infrequent, but every now and then Momo would wake up in a panic, convinced that she had just relived her horrifying attack.

He would not leave her mind.

And so we sat there. Momo continued to cry as the pain, terror and agony of her attack burned fresh in her mind. I ran my fingers through her hair as I continued to hold onto her.

"Why won't he leave me alone?" Momo asked. She had finally managed to stop the tears.

"I don't know," I answered. It was the truth. No matter how many times I pondered the question, I could not figure out what had attracted Aizen to my companion. "I don't know, Momo."

"I'm trying to be brave," she muttered. "It's just... It's so hard. What if he had killed me? What if he had KILLED me?"

I shuddered at the thought. Until Momo's attack, we Lightbringers had assumed that we were immortal, even invincible. Aizen's attack had changed our beliefs.

"I don't know," I repeated yet again. "But you didn't die. He didn't kill you. He was strong, but you, you were stronger."

Momo nodded as she listened to my words.

I continued. "And you are going to continue to get stronger. You are the keeper of the sun and summer. It is your job to burn brightly."

"Burn brightly..." Momo muttered as though internally reminding herself of her purpose. "You're right."

She sat up further in bed, releasing our hug. She grabbed her blankets and pulled them up further. "I don't think I'll be able to go to back to sleep."

"Why don't I go make some tea and we go curl up on the couch and watch a movie?" It was a bit past three in the morning and nothing personally sounded better than sleep but I knew the last thing Momo needed was to be alone.

She willingly agreed. We picked one of our favorite chick flicks and after a cup of tea or two, the color began to return to Momo's cheeks.

"Thanks for being here with me," Momo muttered after a while. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

I reached out and grabbed her hand, squeezing it tightly. "And I don't know where I would be with you. I would probably be wandering the earth, desperately looking for anyone."

Momo and I had not ran into another Lightbringer since our descent to Earth. I am thankful we arrived together. It prevented either of us from having to face this situation alone.

We haven't moved cities since our initial arrival. At first, Momo's health prevented us from traveling. Now, I suppose it is our fear that keeps us rooted in this spot.

To be fair, we live in a relatively popular tourist destination.

Las Vegas, the city of sins.

"You know what you need Momo?" I said as an idea flashed through my mind. "Let's go out tonight and have some fun. Get your mind off things."

Momo looked at me. The smile had returned to her face. "Yes! Let's!"

That was my favorite thing about Momo. Despite the trials she has faced since the start of the war with Aizen, Momo had faced everything with bravery. She was facing trials I would never know, feeling pain that I would never feel. Sure, there were times when she was reduced to tears, but as an immortal who had recently starred death in the face, her attitude was admirable. For the past few months, she had tirelessly worked to recover her physical strength.

Fully healing mentally would still take time.

Yes, I decided as we sat there in the bleak morning hours. A girls night is exactly what we need.

A/N: I hate fanfictions that make Momo weak. I see Momo more as a character who is damaged- there is no way around it, she's been through too much- but she is strong enough to realize what she has been through and actively work to get better. Anyway, next chapters in Toshiro's point of view!


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: This chapter is the official start of the plot and no longer the set up. So here we go, time to get to the fun stuff. Please review!

The plane ride from Philadelphia to our layover in Denver was relatively uneventful. Ichigo stayed preoccupied as he quietly read his new favorite book, a collection of Shakespeare's best works.

Ichigo likes Shakespeare. From the first sonnet he read shortly after being mortal, his love for the long-dead Englishman has grown to a borderline obsession.

"What play is it today?" I asked Ichigo. We were currently waiting to board our flight to Las Vegas.

"Henry the eighth," Ichigo said. "It's a great one."

"I'm sure," I said.

"It really is," Ichigo protested. "Humans, for the most part, are rather useless creatures, but when I find something in humanity that is truly beautiful, I embrace it."

"You embrace alcohol."

"So do you."

"That's true," I said with a shrug. "Humans do excell there."

"But back to the point, Toshiro," Ichigo said as he waved his book in my face. "Shakespeare is complex, rich, detailed, emotional and just… mesmerizing. It's incredible to think that a single man created such timeless masterpieces in a time when humans still thought they could cure diseases using leeches."

"You have a point," I said. "Now get up, we are boarding."

We began to board the plane. Once Ichigo and I were sitting inside the aircraft, I turned to him. "So what's the game plan?"

"I have two hours to get the number of that cute flight attendant. I was thinking of charming her with my devilish good looks and overwhelming attractive personality."

"Not that plan. The plan for when we get to Vegas."

"I don't have one," Ichigo said. He ran his hands through his orange mane. We will just check into the hotel, I guess. My instinct said Vegas. What we do there is undirected."

"Let's go to the club."

At this, Ichigo put down his book and turned towards me, both eyebrows raised. "A club?"

"Isn't that what Vegas is known for?" I said.

"Yes, but I never thought I'd see the day where Toshiro Hitsugaya, _himself_ , suggested that we spend the night getting drunk and crazy in a room full of half-naked women."

"Maybe I just want to enjoy life a little," I said. "I can relax."

"No," Ichigo said. "You attempt to relax but we all know that's a ton of shit. You are a filing cabinet of a person."

"A filing cabinet?"

"Yes, a filing cabinet. You are overly organized and obsessive and everything has a specific place. If it doesn't have a folder, you don't know how to deal with it."

"I'd like to think my personality deserves a better metaphor than standard office furniture," I said coldly.

"You can come up with a mundane metaphor for me," Ichigo said.

"I don't want to think about it right now," I said as I rolled my eyes. "But are we going to the club or not?"

"Oh we are," Ichigo said as he looked around the cabin. "Man, what I would give to try those airplane peanuts."

"Why?" I said. I could not stop myself from rolling my eyes for a second time.

"I don't know. I just wish I could. Just like how I wish I could try a peanut butter and jelly sandwich."

I rolled my eyes once again at Ichigo and pulled out my own book. We sat in silence the rest of the flight, both secretly happy to have each other for company.

When we got to Las Vegas, Ichigo and I grabbed a cab and headed to our hotel. When booking the reservation, Ichigo had decided to commit and had secured us a large, luxury suite on the forty-third floor of Caesars Palace. The suite included two separate bedrooms, a desk, and a marble-countertop bar. Large, flat screen televisions were all around the hotel room. If I wanted to, I could watch tv while soaking in my two-person bathtub. How fantastic.

Ichigo and I arrived late. It was almost eleven and we quickly prepared for a night out. Once we were both dressed, we met in the large living room occupied by a pool table.

"The receptionist recommended the club here, Omnia," Ichigo said as he adjusted the cuffs on his collared shirt.

"Fine with me," I said. "Ready?"

In less than half an hour, Ichigo and I were already inside the club. When you are incredibly good-looking and have a bank account that is constantly full thanks to your investments, you can get in anywhere you want.

Money speaks and Ichigo and I are fluent in the language.

Since it was Saturday, the club was packed. Everywhere we looked there were groups of scantily clad women in sky high heels and too much makeup, flirty and dancing with boys in hopes of free drinks and the promised magic of Vegas. Besides each group of women, men were eyeing their options, trying to decide if they were brave enough to attempt to get lucky.

"I'm gonna go get another drink," Ichigo said to me. We were both a few drinks in and a solid buzz had started.

"Get me one too," I said. "Surprise me."

Ichigo nodded and departed in the large crowd towards the bar.

As soon as he left, I decided to wander through the club to sight see. I love people-watching. Humans are fascinating. They have few limits on what they will and will not do in public, particularly if they are drunk. A club with this many people promised to be quite a feast for my eager eyes.

I moved around the room, silently observing, laughing and judging those around me. The loud pounding of the bass echoed in my ears.

That's when I saw her.

She was standing in the corner of the room, dressed in all black. Her brown hair was elegantly curled and her eyes were lined with a thick layer of makeup. She was stunning, absolutely stunning. In one hand, she was holding a small, fruity looking drink. Her other hand was in her hair, twirling the ends. She was alone, quietly observing the crowd of gyrating bodies before her.

When she turned towards me, my stomach dropped and the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end.

Her large, violet eyes made contact with mine for a mere second. For a moment, we looked at each other, silently watching each other. This was enough. I immediately turned around in search of Ichigo.

I found him at the bar, our drinks in hand. He had been distracted by a tall blonde with large breasts practically hanging out of her dress.

"Ichigo," I said, pulling him away from his perspective lay. "Ichigo I need to talk to you."

"Sorry man, I was gonna bring you this drink but I got side-tracked," he apologized sheepishly.

"That's not it Ichigo, I found someone."

"This club is full. There's plenty of someone's to find," Ichigo said as he took another sip of his drink.

"Not like that Ichigo," I said, desperately trying to get him to realize the magnitude of what I was feeling. "There was a girl. And not just any girl. She... She felt different."

"Then go for it, man," Ichigo said. "Come one, you've landed your fair share of girls. Why do you need to talk to me?"

Frustrated, I let out a growl and aggressively grabbed Ichigo by the shoulders, forcing him to look me in the eye. "No. Ichigo listen to me. She felt different. Like how you felt when I found you wandering in the park. She feels... she feels like us."

At these words, Ichigo's eyes widened. "What?"

"I'm telling you the truth. She's over there. She feels so similar to you. She has to be one of us."

"Do you think she could be..."

I shook my head. "No, she's not my pair. Urahara said you would know the instant you saw them. She's not Tob- she's not her but that doesn't mean she can't be one of us."

"Then why are we standing her?" Ichigo said. "Take me to her."

We clambered through the crowd, desperately looking for the girl with large, violet eyes. When we reached the spot I had previously occupied, my heart sank.

She was gone.

We spent the next half hour combing through the crowd. She had vanished without a trace.

"She's gone," I said as I threw my hands in the air desperately. "She's fucking gone."

"No she's not," Ichigo said. "Let's go."

He immediately grabbed my wrists and dragged me to the exit of the club.

"Where are we going?" I asked Ichigo. As soon as we reached the inside of the bustling casino, he took off in a light jog. Reluctantly, I followed him.

"I don't know!" Ichigo called out as we moved through the crowd. "I'm trusting my instinct."

What happened next would forever seal my trust in Ichigo's legendary instinct.

We worked our way through the casino, finally making it to the main entrance. Around us, a large crowd of people stood waiting for taxis.

"There!" I called suddenly. A few feet in front of us, the mysterious girl with the large, violet eyes was climbing into a taxi.

"Go go go!" Ichigo said. We jumped to the front of the taxi line and clambered into the next available taxi. "Sorry! Here's for the inconvenience!" Ichigo threw a hundred dollar bill at the taxi driver.

The driver immediately stopped any protests regarding our unceremoniously upon seeing Ichigo's generous offering. "Where too?" He asked us.

"Follow that taxi. The one right in front!" Ichigo said, frantically waving his arms.

"Sure, sure," the taxi driver said.

Both taxis pulled onto the strip and started to drive at a sluggishly slow pace. The traffic was thick and both Ichigo's and my patience was beginning to run thin.

"Can the cars go any faster?" I asked the driver.

"It's Saturday night on the strip," the driver said with a hearty chuckle. "In consideration, we are flying."

Besides me, Ichigo let out a long, drawn out groan. "We are going to lose them."

The light we were stuck at turned green and suddenly the large group of cars began to move. For a few minutes, we were making steady progress down the strip. At the next light, the taxi we were chasing made it through the light. Our taxi came to an abrupt halt. We did not make it through.

"Damn it!" Ichigo said. He unbuckled his seatbelt. "I think we have to break some rules right now Toshiro."

I nodded. Desperate times called for desperate measures after all.

Ichigo shot out of the car and began to run down the street. I followed quickly behind. We sprinted through traffic, illegally using our superhuman strength and speed to dodge the cars.

We were breaking one of the three major rules, but at this point, finding another Lightbringer out ruled any risks.

"There!" Ichigo cried, pointing to a car on the freeway ramp. "That's the taxi!"

We quickly jumped ran towards the car and in a moment of sheer panic and adrenaline, Ichigo jumped on the hood with a resounding thud.

That did it. As soon as Ichigo's large body made contact with the back hood of the car, the angered taxi driver pulled over and opened the door, eager to confront the vermin who had jumped on his car.

"What the fuck are you doing?" yelled the taxi driver. He approached us, fists large and ready.

"Sorry sir," I muttered as I ran towards him. With a few, precise jabs to the neck, he went limp, fully unconscious. I gently leaned him against the taxi.

It was at this point that the doors to the back of the taxi opened.

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?"

I looked up to find the violet-eyes girl fuming beside the taxi. She looked at me and walked up to me, grabbing my shirt in her fists and began to violently shake me as she continued yelling. "Who are you and what do you want with us?"

Us? She wasn't alone?

Before I could answer, the small girl suddenly stopped her assault. I opened my eyes to find her standing in shock. I turned to see Ichigo, hair still jumbled from our pursuit, equally stunned.

"It's... no," the girl's voice was barely a whisper, but her words rang in my ears. "It's can't be."

"Yes it can," Ichigo said gently. He took one cautious step forward. "Yes it can be."

I looked back and forth between Ichigo and the girl, observing them closely. Both of them were visibly trembling.

"You're... you're..." She could not finish her sentence.

"I'm the keeper of the dark," Ichigo said boldly.

At three words, I thought the girl would faint. She swallowed. "And I'm the keeper of the light."

Ichigo turned to me. "It's her, Toshiro. We've found her. She's my pair."


	6. Chapter 6

"Momo!" I called out our bathroom. "Momo! Are you almost ready to go?"

"Three minutes!"

"I told the cab to pick us up at 11! We need to go!" I cried out. I looked in the mirror one more time to make sure that my hair and makeup were still put together. Looking around my room, I made sure I had my phone and wallet and put it in the small purse slung across my shoulder.

 _Rukia Kuchiki_

 _Date of birth: 1/14/1993_

This is my mortal identity, according to my license.

I can't speak for the rest of my kind, but I personally do not mind being mortal. Humans have always fascinated me. They have a strong sense of family, appreciate beauty, create amazing music and, above all, treasure and value art.

I like to think I'm an aspiring artist. Unfortunately, I can never take my work public for fear of compromising Momo and mine's safety.

"Okay I'm ready, Rukia!" Momo called from the doorway. I turned to see her ready for the night. She was dressed in a blue, bodycon dress with white heels. Her hair, usually kept in a bun, flowed down her shoulders. She looked absolutely stunning, but a lump could not help but form in my throat. Even when she was made up like a model, I could not help but notice how thin and frail Momo's body still was. Even after months of recovery, her arms and legs were thin, pale and fragile. Her collarbones were predominant. The only sign of her progress was the fact that her ribcage was no longer visible. When she had first woken up from her comatose, each individual rib could be clearly seen.

"Beautiful," I said. "Have everything? ID? Phone? Keys?"

Momo nodded and patted the small, white purse she had draped across her body.

"Perfect. Let's go."

Momo and I have never struggled financially in the short time we have been 'human'. We have a natural talent for gambling. It's easy to tell when we are about to lose or about to win big. Supernatural premonition, perhaps, but it allows us to live in utter luxury.

The building we live in is a skyscraper that can rival some of the hotels and casinos on the famous Las Vegas strip. The Martin. The apartment building for the rich and famous who chose to live slightly off the strip. It's a mile from the main action of Las Vegas and is just quiet enough to give the feeling that we are not, in fact, in the city of sins. Momo and I have a luxury condo on the thirty-third floor. The views are fantastic. The security of the building is even better. In order to access the elevators, each resident must present a magnetic key to the designated scanner. The building has a private security crew, cameras monitoring the lobby and someone manning the desk 24/7. This is the real appeal of The Martin. It tailors to the clients who desire privacy. For individuals such as Momo and myself, nowhere could be better.

Momo and I departed for the club promptly at 11. We had decided early in the day to go to Omnia, the newest club at Caesars. By the time we entered the establishment, the club was full. It was a Saturday night after all and the club had hired a big-time DJ to entertain the crowd of young adults until daybreak.

Whenever Momo and I go out, we never have to pay for drinks. I am not vain- I see no point in it- but I do know that by human standards, we are both rather pretty. I appreciate this because life is easy if you are an attractive, twenty-something year old woman.

"Can I buy you a drink?" I turned to see a tall, blonde man smiling down at Momo. She turned to me.

"Do you mind if I leave you for a bit Ruk?" She asked.

I nodded and held up my own drink. "I got all the company I need right here. Besides, I'm good at making friends."

A small twinkle appeared in Momo's eye at my reply. "I know you are. I'll find you soon." She took the arm the blonde man offered and headed off towards the bar at the back of the club.

I stood there alone, quietly sipping my drink and watching the large mass of people before me. A few times, I made eye contact with a couple individuals, but decided to stay in my small place of solitude. I was comfortable here.

The beat of the music rang in my ears and I could practically feel the floor bounce as the DJ continued mixing songs for the energetic crowd.

That's when I saw him.

He was strange in appearance, but not necessarily in a negative way. He simply stood out in a crowd, even one as large and hectic as this. He was shorter than the average human male, with spiky, white hair and large turquoise eyes. His face was handsome and he looked well-built and strong. Yes, he was attractive, but it was not his looks that caught my attention.

It was the feeling that seemed to be radiating from him.

A feeling that was most unsettling and unlike anything else I had ever felt.

I swallowed. He was gazing back at me. It was clear that I had caught his eye as well and the thought made my stomach drop. My thoughts went straight to the worse case scenario- he knew who I was, or more specially _what_ I was.

I froze, trying to judge if he was going to approach me. Instead, he did the exact opposite. With an alarmed expression on his face, he turned around and immediately set off in the opposite direction.

I wasted no time. I began to look around frantically for Momo or her acquaintance. I could not see them. I pulled out my cell phone and sent her an urgent text, letting her know that I had to leave and that she should too. I would meet her back home. I reasoned that if the mysterious man had found me, it was best not to meet up with Momo. If he was indeed looking for our kind, it was best that we were not together, that way, if he managed to track one of us down, the other would escape.

I quickly left the club. As soon as I was outside and the loud, pounding music disappeared, I pulled out my cell phone to call Momo. She did not answer, as she was probably back in the club, lost in the sea of people and noise.

"Momo!" I said to her voicemail. "Momo… There was someone. Someone like how we talked about. His eyes… He knew things. I'm going home. Leave as soon as you get this."

I got into the line for taxi cabs. Soon enough, I was getting into a cab when my heart dropped. The white haired man from the club came running out of the casino entrance, apparently following and equally handsome man with orange hair. I shut the door, but not before getting a clear view of both men pointing at me and frantically getting inside the cab right behind me.

Damn it, I would have to throw them off.

"Where to Miss?" The taxi driver asked.

I gave him the address to a hotel not far from The Martin. The appeal was the large number of alleyways and back routes between the hotel and my condo. If necessary, I could evade them there.

As expected, the taxi the two men had climbed into followed me. My heart raced and when my phone rang, I nearly jumped out of my skin.

The call was from Momo. As soon as I answered, I should hear her ragged breathing.

"I got your message, Rukia," she said. "I'm getting into a taxi now. Where are you and what the hell is going on?"

"There was this… guy. He looked at me and just… the look on his face made me think he had to know something. And there was just this vibe about him that was just so different from anyone else we have ever met."

"Where are you?" Momo said, her voice slightly more calm.

"I'm in a taxi still on the strip. Traffic is moving so slow. They are in the taxi directly behind us."

"Fuck."

"I'm getting dropped off at the Rio. If worst comes to shove I'll try and lose them in alleys."

"Should I tell the taxi to take me to the Rio too?" Momo asked.

"I don't think so. I don't think they know about you. You didn't see anyone who gave you strange feelings, did you?"

"No. Not at all."

"You should be fine going straight home."

"Alright, I will. But just in case, I'll have the taxi go for a drive for a bit, throw them off." Momo's voice became distant and I could hear her talk to the taxi driver. "Can you please take me the long way and drive all the way down the strip? The cost is no concern."

I could faintly make out the agreement of the taxi driver.

"Okay," Momo said, her voice back on the line. "I should be home in half an hour. Be safe. Tell me the instant you are home if you beat me. Are they still behind you?"

"Yes," I said. I turned to our driver. "Can we lose the cab behind us?"

"Of course," the driver said. "Everything alright?"

"Yes," I answered. "Just some creeps who can't take no for an answer. I'd just rather not have to confront them."

The taxi driver nodded. "Leave it to me."

I returned to the call with Momo. "You okay?"

I heard her exhale. "I guess. It just worries me. We've never had trouble before."

"It worries me too," I said. Suddenly, the taxi cab jolted as the driver floored the vehicle to catch the red light. I turned around to look out the back window. His sudden acceleration had left the cab back at the stoplight. "Oh thank god. They didn't make the light and you know how they are on the strip. They will be stopped for at least five minutes. I should be fine."

"Will you stay on the line with me anyways?" Momo asked.

"Of course," I said. We then started to casually talk about the night.

"The guy who asked to buy me a drink is getting a cabana at Tao Beach Club tomorrow. He wants to know if we would join him. I have his number."

"It's a shame you had to leave early," I said.

"Don't worry," Momo said with a giggle. "I told him that I had to go because you were getting sick."

"Great," I said. Our conversation continued and I could feel myself relax. We had lost the taxi cab and my own taxi was just about to get onto the freeway and escape to safety.

Or so I thought.

Momo and I were laughing over trivial girl things when there was a loud and abrupt bang, as though something had made contact with the back of the car. The taxi driver quickly pulled over and stormed out, yelling at whoever had rear-ended.

I turned to look out the back window and almost went into shock with fear. There they were. The orange haired man was standing besides the white haired man from the club. I watched as the white haired man knocked the taxi cab driver unconscious.

"Momo, I have to go, let me know when you are almost home," I said as I hung up the phone.

I decided in that moment that the best option was to be brave. We were on the side of a public road. Hopefully, they wouldn't do something so drastic with all the cars passing by as eye witnesses.

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?" I yelled as I stormed out of the car, putting on my best bitch face. I walked up to the white haired man and grabbed his shirt and began to shake him violently. "Who are you and what do you want with us?"

I continued to shake him, but he did not fight me. Before I could try and comprehend what was going on, his friend stepped closer to us, ready to break us apart.

That's when I felt it.

I turned to the orange-haired man and looked at his face in utter disbelief. "No… It can't be." My voice was barely more than a whisper.

"Yes it can," the orange haired man answered. With every word, the gut feeling I had grew stronger and stronger. "Yes it can be."

"You're… you're," I could feel myself trembling.

He then said the very words I could only dream of the night before. "I am the keeper of the dark."

My knees began to wobble and I wondered if I would faint. I swallowed and forced myself to answer. "I am the keeper of the light."

The orange haired man looked at his friend. "It's her, Toshiro. We've found her. She's my pair."

I didn't know what to do. I wanted to laugh, cry, jump, sing, scream, panic… everything and anything all at once. I had not realized how empty I felt until now. Being this close to the other half of my divine being felt simply… right.

"You can call me Rukia," I said softly.

"I'm Ichigo," my pair said. "This is Toshiro. He's also one of us."

"I know you guys are in the middle of a reunion, but we are on a very public road," Toshiro said seriously. "We can't stay here."

"Right," said Ichigo. He looked at Toshiro who was still holding the unconscious taxi driver upright. "Looks like we have no choice. Put him in the back. We will leave him somewhere. If we are lucky, he won't remember anything, but just in case let's leave him a few thousand dollars and promise more if he stays silent."

Toshiro nodded and we all got back into the cab. Ichigo grabbed the wheel and turned to me.

"Where to?"

I gave him instruction to a deserted alleyway within walking distance of my building. Ichigo nodded and pulled back onto the road and began to drive.

"How long have you been in Vegas?" I asked, still in minor disbelief at who my stalkers really were.

"We got in tonight," Ichigo said. "You?"

"We've been here from the beginning," I explained. "We crash landed in the Mohave."

"We?" Toshiro said from the back seat. He was currently counting hundred dollar bills to leave the taxi driver as an apology.

"Yes we. I landed with another one of… another one of us. And thank goodness too. She was so injured when we landed."

At this, I could see Toshiro stiffen. "Injured?"

I nodded. "You see… my companion is the keeper of the sun, the one Aizen almost killed."

At this, Ichigo slammed on the brakes and veered off the road. He put the car in park and turned to me, eyes wide with disbelief.

"Your companion is _who_?"

"She goes by Momo, but she is the keeper of the sun and summer and fire."

Ichigo looked at Toshiro. Toshiro had gone pale and was looking at me, wide-eyed and motionless with shock.

"What is it?"

"She's… that's…" Toshiro could only mutter these words quietly.

"What Toshiro is failing to say, Rukia, is that he is the keeper of the moon and winter. We seem to be traveling with each others pairs."

"Damn," I unbuckled my seat belt. "Let's leave the taxi here. We can walk the last block. There's a lot I have to tell you, but let's wait until we get back into our apartment."

We walked in silence. Despite the fact that the road was relatively abandoned, the sparkling lights of the strip provided us with plenty of light to see. I was beginning to regret the height of the particular heels I had chosen to wear tonight.

As soon as we were back inside my apartment, the three of us sat down on the living room couch. Momo had not yet arrived.

"Okay, what seems so urgent that you have to tell us?"

"Look," I said. "This is going to hard to believe and a little terrifying once you do."

"Just tell us. Is it about Momo?" Toshiro said, concern in his eyes.

"And Aizen. When you managed to free her in the sky, I came chasing after her and it's a good thing too. She… well… I don't know how to explain it any other way… she was on the brink of death."

"Impossible," Ichigo said. "We can't die. Even in these mortal bodies."

"I told you it was hard to believe, but it's true. She was in a coma for over a month and I was afraid of losing her. Whatever Aizen did to her managed to truly hurt her."

"Fuck," Ichigo said.

Besides him, Toshiro began to massage his forehead with his fingers. "So you are telling me Aizen can kill us and he was using Momo as his test subject?"

"I don't know," I answered honestly. "I just want to prepare you."

"Prepare me for what?" Toshiro snarled.

"Momo… she's been a little different. She's shaken. She's paranoid and rightly so. She's a fighter, but that doesn't change the fact that Momo almost died."

Before anyone could answer, the door to our apartment opened.

"Rukia! I'm home. Answer your ph-" Her voice died as she became aware of our guests.

"Momo," I said getting up to go join her by the door. I closed the door behind her and put my arm gently around her shoulder. "Listen to me Momo. They are like us. They are our kind."

Momo's eyes were wide as she began to take in the site of Ichigo and Toshiro.

From his seat, Toshiro stood up and began to walk slowly over to Momo. "I've been waiting for you," he said softly.

"What?" Momo said, frowning.

"It's me. The keeper of the moon," Toshiro said, desperate to reunite with his pair.

"No you're not," Momo said, her eyes wide with fear. "No you're not! Get away from me! Get away from me!"

Before I or anyone else could stop her, Momo threw my arm off her shoulder, grabbed her bag and ran out the door, clearly in panic.

"I… I told you something is wrong with her," I said as I turned to Toshiro. He was standing there trembling, clearly torn apart from the obvious rejection of his partner.

"Momo…" was all he could mutter. "What did Aizen do to you?"

A/N: I will be telling the story form Rukia and Toshiro's point of view. Now that they have met, the M rating will be coming into play real soon. Please leave me a review and let know what you think! For those of you who have reviewed, thank you! You all have given so much thought to your reviews and it helps me so much, particularly since this is a fantasy story and I've had to create so much from my own mind. So I hope you liked it and let me know what you think!


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Please enjoy the IchiRuki fluff and review!

"She doesn't recognize me," Toshiro said, eyes wide with intolerable amounts of sadness. "What should I do? Should I go after her?"

"No!" I said abruptly. "No. That will just scare her more. You can stay here and wait. Maybe I can try and talk some sense into her when she returns."

"That's rough, Toshiro, I'm sorry," Ichigo said with a frown.

"I didn't want to think the damage Aizen had done was so severe mentally," I said.

"If what you are saying is true and that Aizen may have found a way to kill us and tried to use Momo as a test subject, then this is just another difficulty in a long list of problems," Ichigo said.

"I'll call Urahara," Toshiro said.

I frowned, confused. "Whose is Urahara?"

"The keeper of intelligence. We ran into him back in London. He's managed to successfully find his pair. She goes by the name Yoruichi," Toshiro explained as he pulled out his phone.

"You've found others?" I asked, my voice a mere whisper.

"He's the only other one, but his is progress," Toshiro said. "With us, that makes three complete pairs."

"That's pretty good considering we were scattered across Earth. Why the fuck did we not think of having some sort of rendezvous point in case we got separated?" Ichigo said as he ran his hands through his orange hair.

"We are immortal beings, the last thing we typically concern ourselves with is strategy," Toshiro answered. "Rukia, is there anywhere where I can place a call privately?"

I nodded. "You may use the patio. It's a nice night outside. If not, feel free to use Momo's room. It's okay. I give you permission."

Toshiro nodded and left the room, leaving Ichigo and I to ourselves.

My heart started to race.

"Would you like a drink?" I asked.

"Sure, scotch on the rocks, if you have it."

I nodded and went to the kitchen to prepare Ichigo's drink, making myself one too. I returned shortly to find him walking around or living room, observing it.

"For two girls, your interior design is very... plain," Ichigo said. "Invest in some pillows or a lamp. You need a bright pop of color or a statement piece."

"I'll add it to my to-do list," I said, rolling my eyes. "It's good to be with you."

At this, the cocky, witty exterior Ichigo had previously worn melted. He turned to me, a genuine smile on his face. "It's good to be with you too. I hope being mortal hasn't given you much trouble."

I shook my head. "I've been taking care of Momo. That's all. But I'm happy to do it."

"So do you think Aizen can really kill us?" Ichigo said as he sat down on my fashionably mundane tan couch. He began to twirl the ice in his glass.

"I don't know, but I would assume so. You didn't see Momo."

"No I didn't," Ichigo said, taking a sip from his drink. "But fuck, how horrible. When we went to save her, up in the sky all those months ago, there was a moment where I was afraid she was going to be Aizen's captive. But that's all I thought she would be, a captive. I never would imagine she could have potentially ended up dead."

Ichigo had been part of the small group of Lightbringers that had made a last minute effort to try and save Tobiume from Aizen. The rest of us were so deep in our own battles and struggle with Aizen's various subordinates to help. I myself had to abandon my own fight when Momo was finally released and she went tumbling down to Earth unconscious.

I sat down next to Ichigo and felt fully at peace for the first time since our descent to Earth. Even such a formidable topic could not stop this feeling. I-we- were a complete unit again and it felt so right.

"That scares me," I said honestly. "What would happen to this world if one of us dies?"

"I don't know," Ichigo said as he continued to enjoy his drink. He ran his hands through his hair. "But there is a reason we were created in pairs. Thirteen pairs for thirteen aspects of balance. No good can come out of losing half of a pair."

"No it can't," I said. I threw back the rest of my drink and placed the empty glass on the coffee table. I turned to Ichigo and for the first time that night, truly studied his face. He was handsome in the traditional way, with the exception of his hair. "How did you end up with such... colorful hair?" I said as I gently reached out and brushed a stray lock back into place.

"I don't know," Ichigo shrugged. "How did you end up so short?"

"Oh whatever," I said, rolling eyes.

"I'm partners with a midget," Ichigo said as he placed one hand on my shoulder.

"You know what humans say about gingers," I said.

"What?" Ichigo said, leaning closer to me.

"They have no souls," I said with a laugh.

"Well I don't have a soul," Ichigo said. He put down his glass and moved both of his hands on my face and began to caress my cheeks with his thumbs. The warmth from his skin radiated throughout my body. "At least not my own soul. You are my soul, Rukia."

"That's so cheesy," I said; nevertheless, I could not help but look into his deep, amber eyes. I could feel the color rise in my cheeks.

"It is," Ichigo said with a smile. "Doesn't it feel so right to be together? I feel as though I've known you for an eon."

"You have known me for an eon," I said.

"And I'll never get tired of being with you."

The majority of Lightbringer pairs do not get the opportunity to reign together. Many spend years, even centuries apart if that what it takes to keep the universe in balance. This was not the case for Zangetsu and I. Even in our true spirit forms, we have always been together. The times we are apart are far and few inbetween.

We work well as a team and we know it.

"In all seriousness, I've miss you," I said to Ichigo. His deep amber eyes were staring straight at me, as though he was worried I would disappear at any moment.

"I've missed you too. Toshiro's rotten company in comparison."

"Speaking of Toshiro, what have the two of you been doing these past months? You've yet to inform me."

Ichigo moved closer to me and wrapped his around my shoulder to pull me closer. "We've been traveling the world, always hunting, searching and looking."

"Looking for what?"

"You."

At this, the blush I had been developing deepened. It amazed me how no matter how long Ichigo and I were a pair, he could still get the smallest reaction from me. Even in heavens this went on.

"And do you like what you've found?"

"Indeed. I never thought the mortal representation of my other half would be so... perfect," he breathed the last word into my ear. The hair on the back of my neck stood on end as a shiver ran down my spine. He returned his gaze to my own eyes. "Tell me, Rukia, have you had your way with mortal men?"

"I technically am human."

"It's okay, Rukia," Ichigo said to me. His voice was low, husky and dripping with sex. "We all need distractions. But none of that matters. There is nothing you could do that would make me not want you for you are everything I've wanted." With that Ichigo pressed his lips on my mouth. He kissed me, taking my breath away before abruptly ending the kiss. He returned his lips to my ear and whispered, "Oh, do I want you right now."

Before I could react, Ichigo put both his hands on my shoulders, pushing me into my back. He crawled on top of me and placed his lips back on mine.

His kisses were aggressive, as though I was about to disappear at any second and he had to make sure to enjoy as much of me as possible. His lips tangled with mine and he took my bottom lip in his own, biting down on it. I moaned, granting him access to the inside of my mouth. His tongue moved gracefully with mine.

We continued to kiss on the couch, and Ichigo's hands began to wander up and down my body. He traced my sides with his palms, before rolling down the top of my strapless dress, exposing my breasts to him. He immediately stopped kissing my mouth and took one of my breasts in his mouth, kissing and sucking them.

"Ichigo," I moaned through the pleasure. "We are in the living room. Let's go to my room."

You may think what you want about how quick we were to jump in bed. Many may judge, but few will know the overwhelming joy reuniting with your other half brings.

I, it seemed, would have to wait a bit to find out.

Before Ichigo and I could retreat to the privacy of my room, the door to the patio slammed shut, alerting us of Toshiro's return inside. Quickly, Ichigo and I jumped apart. I hastily fixed my dress and attempted to pat down my hair.

After one look at Toshiro, it was clear that he was still clearly distraught with the events of earlier.

"I should have gone after her."

"No you shouldn't of," I said insistently. My breathing was still uneven, a lingering result of Ichigo's desperate kisses. "She would have panicked even more."

Toshiro sat down on the couch and ran his fingers through his hair before sighing in desperation. "Then what do I do?"

"I don't know man," Ichigo said beside me.

"I'll text her," I said. "I'll tell her it's best if she comes home. That we need to have a chance to talk. But there's no promising she will be back soon. She could just want to disappear for a bit."

"And if she disappears forever?"

"She's not going to run away. She's not... she's not strong enough and she knows it." I said the last bit of the sentence as quietly and quickly as possible.

At this, Toshiro swallowed, clearly trying to accept the reality he was in. "Fine." He said simply. "I want to sleep. Where's a good place?"

"You can have the couch," I said. "I'm sorry. I would offer Momo's bed but if she were to come home to find you wrapped up in the sheets... And we don't have a guest room."

"It's fine," Toshiro said as he sprawled out on the couch. "I can sleep anywhere."

"That he can," Ichigo said next to me. "We should leave him to rest."

I nodded and grabbed Ichigo's hand, leading him to my own room. After changing out of my evening clothes, I turned to Ichigo. "On second thought, I think sleep sounds the best."

He did not hide the disappointment on his face.

"I'm sorry," I said rationally. "It's just... I have a feeling tomorrow is going to be a long, long day, both emotionally and physically."

"But we don't need to sleep," Ichigo said, attempting to persuade me to change my mind.

"So? That doesn't mean I don't need it right now. Please, Ichigo. It's going to get rough. I have a feeling."

He looked at me and eventually let out a sigh and threw back my comforter. "Fine," he said. "But we can at least cuddle."

We got into my bed and quickly found that it was perfectly natural for us to lay wrapped up in each other. This was no surprise, after all, Ichigo and I are inseparable up in the heavens.

With Ichigo providing me with warmth, I soon fell asleep listening to nothing but the steady beat of his mortal heart and the soothing sounds of his breath.

Tomorrow would be a long day, but for right now, all I needed was a nap and the company of my other half.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: so I just want to let everyone know that this story does not focus on one pair over the other. Each are represented equally in my outline because I love both of them equally! Some chapters and periods in the story focus more on one than the other, but I'm not sure I could classify this as a Hitsuhina or a IchiRuki fic only. Both pairs are vital to the development of my story as told through the eyes of my two beloved narrators.

"Urahara speaking," the voice called out from the other line. I swear I could hear the unsettling grin creep across his face.

"It's me," I said. I wasn't in the mood for explanations.

"Toshiro! You keep calling me. To what do I owe the pleasure of this time?"

"Please stop being so cheerful. I'm not in the mood."

"Bad night?"

"You have no idea," I said as I begin a short summary of earlier events.

"Really," Urahara said, letting out a low whistle once I finished my story. "Two? And your exact two pairs? That's excellent."

"Not exactly," I said dryly. "Momo- my own partner- something's... something's wrong with her. The attack on Aizen almost killed her and she doesn't recognize me."

"Don't be stupid. She can't be killed."

"Rukia believes Aizen has found a way to kill us and Momo was his test subject."

At this, there was a silence as Urahara processed the information. "Okay, so that is bad. What do you mean she doesn't recognize you?"

"It was just like you said. One look at her and I just knew she was mine but she... she ran away in fear."

"That's rough. Rejected by the other half of your own soul."

"You are making this situation so much better," I said, sarcasm dripping in my voice.

"I'm just trying to assess this situation," Urahara said.

"Me too."

"How about you call me in a day or two if she's still like this. I'll try using my mind to see what I can come up with."

"Okay," I said glumly.

We hung up the phone shortly after and my mood improved little. I headed back inside the condo to find Ichigo and Rukia all over each other on the couch.

Thank god their clothes were still on.

I rolled my eyes, he couldn't wait ten minutes to jump her.

I also couldn't blame him.

I was just bitter because my pair had decided the best reaction to our reunion was to immediately flee the scene.

I like to believe that I have the emotional competence of a bull and kept telling myself that the sinking feeling in my chest was due to the frustration of being rejected and not the rejection itself.

This was a load of bullshit. As much as I like to feign my lack of emotions, the look of pure terror and disgust Momo gave me upon my exclamation of our relationship cut me like a knife.

After a short chat with Rukia and Ichigo, we decided as a group that the best thing to do would be to wait for Momo to get home and get some sleep. I laid down on the couch, attempting to silence all the emotions running in my mind. I'm not sure if it was a combination of the overwhelming grief or my own incredible ability to shut down my brain when I now longer want to function, but after a few minutes of tossing and turning on the plush brown couch, I fell asleep.

After what felt like a measly amount of sleep, I was awoken by the loud slam of the front door.

Momo had returned. She look disheveled, manic even. Still in her evening wear, her makeup was running, a clear sign of the tears she had apparently shed upon her retreat. She entered the room and immediately looked me in the eye.

"Where's Rukia?"

I pointed to her bedroom door where she anD Ichigo had taken their leave.

Momo nodded and walked over to Rukia's door, knocking on it loudly and repeatedly.

"Rukia! Rukia we need to talk."

After a few moments, there was a grumbled reply. "One second!" Rukia called out.

Through all this, Momo did not turn around to look at me. If you asked me, I personally felt as though she was doing everything in her power to avoid my gaze.

I, meanwhile, could do nothing but stare at the mess of a woman before me.

She was small and delicate, slender in all manners and way. A small smile crossed my lips as I realized that I was indeed taller than she. Good. At least I was taller than someone. Despite the trainwreck that was her makeup, or the fact that her head had taken up the appearance of a bird's nest, I could not help but note that underneath these cosmetic errors, she was beautiful.

I know I'm bias towards her. She could literally resemble a cow dressed in drag and I, as the other half of her soul, would deem her the most beautiful creature on earth.

After a few more moments, Rukia answered the door, dressed sensibly in a t-shirt and spandex. "You're back."

"I am," Momo said. "Thanks for your concern." The bitterness in her voice could not be ignored by anyone.

"Sorry," Rukia said. Behind her, Ichigo emerged, full dressed. "We were fast asleep."

"We. Need. To. Talk." Momo said, venom in her eyes. Rukia turned to Ichigo and for the first time this conversation, my existence was acknowledged. "Can you boys excuse us for a bit?"

Rukia followed Momo into a separate room. I reasoned that this was Momo's bedroom. The pair shut the door behind them quickly, leaving Ichigo and I bewildered in the living room.

Then, my common sense and more importantly, my rage, set in.

"How was your nap?" I snarled.

"Whoa man, take it easy. We literally just slept."

"Bullshit!" I said, my voice growing louder with each syllable.

"I swear," Ichigo said. "And calm down. You and I both know you're channeling your anger about the situation onto me. So stop."

"Anger?!" I could feel the vein pulsing on my forehead, yet I continued to convince myself that not only was I not overreacting, but I was justified. "You're not the one whose pair ran away from you in fear! You get a lovey dovey reunion! So don't tell me I can't be angry!"

There was no way the girls could not hear my outburst through the door separating our conversation from theirs. Still, no one emerged. The conversation the two of them were having must have been important enough to ignore my aggressive wrath. That or they cared little that it sounded as though I was about to beat up Ichigo.

I won't lie. For a few moments I contemplated trying to smash his face in before I remembered that I wasn't five and Ichigo wasn't really who I was mad at.

I was mad at the situation.

I've had bad days in my time as a mortal. Once, in South Korea, I spilled an entire bottle of oyster sauce on myself and had to wait a full three hours before I could change out of my disgusting and overly pungent clothing.

A polo smelling like fish was nothing compared to this.

Ichigo did not answer me. Perhaps he knew that he should have acted with his brain rather than his penis. It's not that he was wrong; he simply understood that his open displays of affection were further rubbing salt into my newly acquired wound. No matter the reason, we stood there glaring at each other until Rukia and Momo finally emerged.

"Why don't we all sit down?" Rukia said with a nervous smile.

She and Momo made their way to the brown couch Ichigo and I were tensely standing around. Momo had changed out of her evening wear and look significantly less tragic dressed in a flannel shirt and spandex. Her hair was up in a bun and the tear-stained makeup was gone from her eyes.

She sat down directly next to Rukia, but did glance at either Ichigo or I who took a seat on the adjacent side of the long, L-shaped couch.

"I need to apologize for running out like that," Momo said softly. Next to her, Rukia nodded with confidence. Clearly, Momo's apology was a result of specific instruction from her companion. "I should have heard you out. I panicked. I'm sorry. I've been... panicking a lot."

"It's alright," Ichigo said next to me. "I don't blame you."

"Neither do I," I said gently. I then caught her eye and we looked directly at each other. "Don't you feel it? Can't you?"

Momo's face fell into a frown and she turned to Rukia. "You said I had to apologize. I did not agree to entertain such nonsense fantasies."

At this, Rukia looked at me apologetically. "Momo, you need to hear him out. Or at least me out."

"Fine. But you first."

"I told you in your room and I'll say it again. Are you sure you don't feel... anything?"

Momo shook her head. "What am I supposed to feel?"

"It's almost like an internal pull," Ichigo cut in. "And in general, when you look at me you should sense that I'm different from the humans you normally interact with."

"I don't feel anything," Momo answered honestly. "Not to you or to you." Her eyes fell on me. "Rukia says it's clear you are one of us. I trust her, so I'll believe her. The more important issue is why can't I feel it myself?"

"You were hurt," Rukia said gently.

"Here we go, everything always goes back to that one incident. Yes, I was hurt. Yes, I almost died- maybe- we still aren't entirely sure about that part, I mean I am immortal. But still, does my entire mortal identity rely on the sheer fact that I was attacked?"

"No, of course not Momo," I said, entering the conversation for the first time. "But it's all we have to go off of. Your divine senses aren't working like the rest of ours. We have no other option than to assume you are hurt or that this is another consequence of the attack."

Momo fell silent and stared into her lap. The rest of us held our breaths as we waited for her to say something, anything. After the longest pause humanly possible, Momo looked up at me. "I believe Rukia. You are one of us. But you are not my pair. I know my pair. It can't be you."

With that, Momo got up from her seat and headed to her room slamming the large wooden door shut. The vibrations echoed throughout the house, adding to the gloom.

"It's going to take time," Rukia said simply. "You can't imagine her to just... accept something she can't feel."

"Well then what the hell should I do?" I yelled at the small petite woman. "You said not to chase after her. I'm assuming you want me to leave her alone for now. What do you want? For me to never talk to her? For me to stay silent until she suddenly and miraculously just gets it?"

"No," Rukia said gently. "She just needs time and I'm asking for that. With time, Momo will trust both of you. She's already said she will make an effort because she trusts me."

I rolled my eyes, no longer willing to even answer reply.

"Now what?"

Ichigo's question accomplished what no other statement had so far. In his simple doubt of the future, I realized how pathetic I was acting. We had vast amounts of unknown problems in front of us, and here I was pouring because Rukia insisted that I should just take the situation as it was for now and patiently wait Momo out.

"What do you means now what?"

Obviously, Rukia did not understand the magnitude of such a question.

"He means where do we go from here," I said. I then made eye contact with Ichigo. "Urahara was pleased we have three pairs together."

"I say we continue doing what we were doing," Ichigo said. "We need to keep traveling and trying to find someone, anyone, of our kind."

At this, Rukia grimaced. "I don't know. Momo and I am haven't traveled at all since we first arrived here. I'm afraid she may be physically unable to."

"Why?" Ichigo asked bluntly. "She's seems healthy. Healthy enough to go to a club at least. Does she suffer from faint spells or trembles or seizures we don't know about?"

"No."

We turned to find Momo standing back in the hallway, newly emerged from her room. Clearly any distaste she had with Ichigo and I was overpowered by curiously and she could no longer sit idly in her room.

"I don't pass out," Momo said simply.

"Then I don't see the problem."

"Hmmm," Rukia let out a sigh. "Tell them the full truth Momo. We can't work as a team if you don't. You said you trust them if I do."

Momo headed on over to the couch and took back her earlier seat next to Rukia. "You tell them please. I don't... I don't like talking about it." She then began to stare into her lap as she twiddled her thumbs, clearly looking for an aversion.

"The only lingering side effect Momo has is her panic attacks," Rukia said softly. "We don't know what triggers them or why. Sometimes, they come in the form of nightmares. Essentially, she randomly goes into a state of mind where she is convinced she back under Aizen's attack."

After Rukia finished her explanation, Momo looked up at us, directly and fully. "It usually happens when I'm asleep. There's only been three cases when I've been awake, but they are much, much worse. It drives me into practically hysterics."

Ichigo and I nodded.

"I still think it's worth the risk," Ichigo said after a while. "We have to find the others, but the last thing I want is for us to become separated again. If we are all together, perhaps we can help Momo with these."

"Where will we go?" Rukia asked.

"Anywhere," I answered before Ichigo did.

"Phoenix," was Ichigo's reply.

"Phoenix? Why Phoenix?" The was a universal question from the group.

"I'm feeling Phoenix." Ichigo said with a shrug.

"If Ichigo's feelings Phoenix, we need to go there," I said. "He felt Las Vegas and look at this."

"Hmmmm..." Rukia looked at Momo who was clearly mulling the proposal over. "That's only five hours away by car."

"You have a car?" I asked. Ichigo and I had never bothered to have any sort of motorized vehicle. We jumped from country to country all too often to decide where and when to have one registerd.

Besides, who needs a car when, in a worst case scenario, you can simply run as fast as one.

"We do," Rukia said. "Vegas is hot. I don't like walking in the heat."

"We could take the car," Momo said.

"Momo-"

"Look, Rukia you told me to blindly trust them so I am. They want to go to Phoenix. We have to find the others. I can do it. I'm strong enough now."

"Are you sure Momo?" Rukia asked gently.

"Yes. I at least have to try."

"Fine," Rukia said. "We can leave as soon as we are packed."

"Ichigo and I will need to head back to our hotel to collect our things," I said.

"Of course. We can take you." Rukia said. "Anyone want coffee?"

"Yes please. Let me help you," Ichigo said as he got off the couch.

The two went into the kitchen, leaving Momo and I by ourselves. Whether this was an accident or by design, I was unsure.

"I'm sorry."

I'm positive that my face looked as surprised as I felt upon Momo muttering her small apology.

"For what?"

"I know you are disappointed and I shouldn't have accused you of not being my pair when frankly, I can't even sense if Ichigo or you are Lightbringers at all."

"Um, alright, thanks," I said awkwardly. Clearly this conversation was less sentimental than either of us imagined in our minds.

"Okay well, good talk." Momo said.

She couldn't have summed it up better.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: I'm not sure how long this will be. Most of the time I like to limit my stories but I feel that this needs to go at whatever pace it may. So please review and if you like it, follow, because this may be a whirlwind of a journey!

Soon after morning coffee, Ichigo and Toshiro left to collect their things from their hotel room. We decided that the sooner we left, the better.

When the boys left, Momo and I each retreated into our rooms to pack our own luggage. It is here that I came face with the reality that is the clique luggage crises of women.

Realistically, we could only bring a suitcase each. Nothing more would fit in the back of our car's trunk. Still, trying to pack the next few months of my life in one suitcase proved to be more difficult than expected.

I may be immortal, but I like my clothes and I'm rather attached to them. It's a girl thing.

After spending ten minutes debating on which pairs of Chappy pajamas to bring (I was only allowing myself to bring three of the six I owned) I heard a small knock on the door.

It was Momo. She had finished packing.

"We just have to wait for the boys," I said as I continued to contemplate my choice of sleepwear.

"Alright," Momo said softly.

"So what's up?" I said as I began to pack the winning pajamas in my luggage. "You can sit on the bed if you just want to talk."

Momo nodded and sat down on my bed. For a few minutes, we both said nothing as I continued to pack my bag. For her part, Momo did little but watch me intently. That was until she broke the silence with an unthinkable question.

"Am I broken?"

I almost dropped the hair dryer I was packing up in shock. I turned to her, eyes wide. "What?!"

"Am I broken?" Momo repeated, her voice a bit smaller this time. "You can tell me."

"Why would you think that?"

"I obviously can't detect the change in energy from a normal human to Ichigo. I'm not strong enough to keep up with any of you if you were to use your true strength. That only leads me to believe that something is wrong."

I put down the socks I had been rolling and rushed over to Momo. I sat next to her and pulled her into a light embraced. "You're not broken. At least, not permanently."

"But what if I am?" Momo's face showed the truth. The recent events had scared her into thinking that her recovery would only stretch so far. She was beginning to panic that she would never, no matter how long she had, return to her full strength and power.

"You're not," I said flatly. A small part of me was not fully convinced, but I could not let Momo detect this. "Look how far you've come already. You'll keep going."

Momo nodded. She knew what I was going to say, but perhaps that's why she had asked.

"I will say this, they are both very understanding and patient."

"Of course they are," I answered. "They were both there. They both saw what happened to you."

The sound of the front door suddenly echoed through the house. Ichigo and Toshiro had returned. I turned to Momo. "I'm just about ready. You?"

"I finished packing twenty minutes ago."

"Good," I said with a soft smile. "Let's go tell them."

It was eleven in the morning when we set out. The sun had risen for the day and was beating down on the desert. With the exception of inside the city, traffic was mild and we were quick on our way to Arizona. Ichigo offered to drive and Toshiro joined him in the front seat. For the first two hours of the journey, no one said much. Next to me, Momo fell into a light sleep against the window.

As I watched the desert pass by outside the window, I began to realize the magnitude of our situation.

For the past eight months, I have lived a day by day existence. For an immortal, this is unheard of. For Rukia Kuchiki, this was a necessity. My first days on earth revolves around nothing more than trying to aid Momo's recovery as she lay in her coma. Once she was awake, I began to focus on the aspect of healing that proved to be more difficult: her mind. It was a slow process. With each passing day her eyes grew less worried, her mind less anxious and her heart more trusting. This was all that consumed my days.

With my focus entirely on Momo and her health, I thought little of branching outside our Sin City sanctuary to find the others. It simply was not on my mind. At that point, Momo had not been strong enough to travel. So you can imagine the weight that sunk in my chest when I began to fully comprehend our new goal in life.

We were going to find the others and go to war.

The thought made my heart sink. I do not like war. One of my attributes of balance deals with sacrifice. War requires sacrifice and I have seen more than I desire. Living it was not on my to-do list.

So, with Momo still peacefully asleep beside me, I decided to discuss the matter.

"Do you guys have a plan?"

At this, toshiro turned around to look at me. "What do you mean?"

"A plan? Like once everyone is together?" I said.

"Well," Toshiro began. "Yes and no. We know we need everyone together. We know to instruct everyone to Urahara's once contact is made. But after that-"

"After that we have nothing," Ichigo finished. "And considering your information on the extent of Aizen's power, we will have to develop a strategy. Just attacking will not suffice anymore."

Besides him, Toshiro nodded in agreement. "You have to remember Rukia, we only know three full pairs. We haven't really gotten to any other part of the plan."

"So all you do is wander the country looking for others?" This seemed like a highly inefficient way of dealing with the problem, but I was not going to say so.

Ichigo shrugged. "All over the world. But it's working."

"Kind of," I muttered.

"We've located more than you have." For some reason, there was a bite in Ichigo's voice that stung.

"I've been taking care of Momo, thank you very much," I said coldly. I was slightly offended that my own partner did not consider that I had, in fact, been very busy the past few months. "You would know if you listened to me talk."

This last part seemed to hit home and both Toshiro and Ichigo fell silent. After a few tense minutes of focusing strictly on the flat road before him, Ichigo cleared his throat quietly.

"You're right. I know. I'm sorry. I wasn't with you the past eight months so I shouldn't assume."

"Thank you," I said simply.

The car grew silent again as we continued to race down the road. We stopped for gas halfway between Vegas and Phoenix at a small town. Not needing to stop for lunch, we were quickly back on our way. Though I was not mad at Ichigo, there was an unusual silence between us.

I was beginning to realize that after eight months apart, Ichigo and I had missed much in our lives. It was easy back in the heavens. There, we were rarely apart. We stood by each other no matter what or when we were doing.

Now...? Now was different. It's not to say that I was not happy to be with Ichigo. I was ecstatic. Just his presence alone was enough to lift my mood completely. Instead, the change between Ichigo and myself was subtle. It was hardly noticeable at first, but the longer we were together, the more I could tell.

Having never been apart for longer than a day or so, we were unsure how to bridge the gap the last eight months had built. It was unusual to us. Catching up with each other was unknown.

I frowned and instructed to shake these negative thoughts from my mind. Surely I was over reacting. Ichigo and I may have been apart for so long, but we were still each other's partners. I could not love him more if I tried. It was simply awkward for us to have such an unfamiliar blunder in our relationship.

I closed my eyes. I was not exhausted- our kind does not suffer from lack of sleep or fatigue- I merely desired to stop the onslaught of emotions overloading my mind. Yes, sleep would do me good.

I would wake up in Phoenix. It was a new city, perfect for the next phase in my time as a mortal.


	10. Chapter 10

I began this narrative with a brief description of why, at least in my own opinion, humans are far from the revered species they claim to be. They are loud, rude, arrogant, greedy… I could continue this list effortlessly. I could write a book, bound in leather with golden lettering on the cover, about the various vices humanity suffers from.

Despite my overall dislike of humanity, there is one thing about humans that I will forever admire, aside from their talent in brewing and preparing sprites and spirits.

Humanity has an unyielding sense of family.

I am an immortal being of high intelligence. I know the Merriam-Webster definition of the word family. To be exact, it is a group of people who are related to each other. Mom. Dad. Grandma Betty. Grandpa Jim. Great-Aunt Bertha. This is a family by strict definition.

Humanity takes this seemingly simplistic and concise definition and turns it into so much more.

I have encountered very few humans that follow the strict definition in the dictionary. To almost all, family is not simply a term used to define blood relatives; it is a word used to encompass all those dear and beloved.

Friends consider themselves to be family. Sports teams preach that the bond between them goes beyond the obligation to preform. Coworkers, comrades, friends, family: all of it is encompassed as a 'family'.

This took me awhile to fully grasp the concept. As an immortal being, the definition of family was of no concern to me. I was not born. I was created. I had little sense of time. Those around me- for all we knew then- were never at risk of death.

This has changed in my nine months on earth. I am not a human by design, only in appearance. Divine beings do not fear solitude, nor do they know longing. When I first crash landed on earth by myself it was the first time I ever felt the sensation of being alone. This quickly changed after arriving on earth. Not only did I wish so desperately for a companion, but I missed Tobiume more than I could imagine. In the heavens, we would go years at a time without speaking and I went unphased. It was only after seeing the throngs of lovers, friends and acquaintances that roam earth's many cities and towns did I learn about family and with this came loneliness and grief.

Perhaps this late development is a consequence of not having a childhood. I was never born, so I never had the opportunity to grow up. I do not even remember my creation. All I know is that as far as my consciousness goes, I have always been. I appeared in the world with my knowledge, personality and abilities already in place. I have no need to learn. If I desire information, it simply slides into my mind. This is a great perk of belonging to the divine.

It is also the largest disadvantage of hiding as a mortal.

Just as with eating, one does not realize how often humans reference their youth until you don't have one. I can recount countless conversations where people have asked me about growing up. I can also recount the awkward replies that followed until I had the good sense to come up with one definitive background.

If we were to meet on the street and you were to ask about my life, I would reply that my name is Toshiro Hitsugaya and that I was born in Kyoto, Japan. I have no brothers or sisters and my parents died right after I graduated high school, leaving me with a large inheritance. I have little need to work so I spend my days traveling the world with my best friend, fellow millionaire Ichigo Kurosaki. We have known each other since we were kids. In fact, both Ichigo and I were home schooled together by the same governess, Dolly. Dolly was strict and a little unnecessarily harsh, but it was all for the best. In fact, I have Dolly to thank for my quick intellect and keen mind.

No one would ever know that there is no Dolly and that my parents are not dead, let alone non-existent. One look at the luxurious lifestyle Ichigo and I lead thanks to our financial investments is more than enough to confirm our tale.

Though I desire nothing more than to return to my former existence, I will always value the time I have had as a human. In the heavens, I had emotions; however, they were much simpler. I could be angry or annoyed. I often was when dealing with the meager excuses for intelligent lifeforms that inhabit most planets (I'm talking to you, Earth).

As a human, I have learned what it means to suffer from loneliness, sadness and desperation. I have learned to appreciate those around me. Before, I took Zangetsu's existence for granted. He was a dependable member of our group, but not once in the heavens did I thank the Creator for his company.

Here on Earth I have counted my blessings for being able to share his company, no matter how annoying his particular habits may be.

I am also grateful for my time on Earth because it has allowed me to fully contemplate and understand love.

Do not get me wrong. I have always treasured Tobiume. I have always put her needs before my own. She is the second half of my soul, the light to my dark. We cannot be one without the other.

I have loved her from the start of our existence, but I just now know how to comprehend the feelings I have towards her.

To know that she does not recognize me tears me apart. I remind myself that this is not my fault. She could not tell that Ichigo was one of us as well. Some part of her, the part able to distinguish humanity from the divine, has vanished.

Rukia says that I must be patient. Patience is one of the few things I've struggled with since becoming mortal. There is a refreshing instant gratification that comes with leading a life of riches. I've become accustomed to waving a few hundred dollar bills and seeing my want, need or desire tended to immediately.

But if patience is what she needs, patience is what I will have.

When we arrived to Phoenix, we found a Marriott not far from the heart of the city. This, Ichigo claimed, felt 'right'. I have already declared my loyalty to Ichigo's instinct, so I agreed almost immediately. We booked two rooms, one for the women and one for us. It was Rukia's idea. She didn't say why, but I knew it's because she has no intentions on forcing my presence on Momo. As much as he tried, Ichigo's disappointment could not be masked.

Ichigo is a lot of things, but being someone good at hiding their emotions is not one of them.

We brought our luggage into the room and unpacked. We promised the girls we would meet them downstairs in a few hours for drinks. Right now, all anyone wanted was a good shower and a short nap.

"Yo, Toshiro," Ichigo said as he sat down on his designated bed. "I've been thinking."

"That's surprising," I retorted.

"Ha ha," Ichigo scowled. "I need you to be serious for all of five minutes and try to truly hear me out."

"Um, alright."

"I think we should get weapons."

"Weapons?" I did not try to cover the mixture of disgust and shock in my voice. "You can run faster than a car, jump three stories high and have a right hook better than any world champion boxer. Why do you want a weapon?"

"Because in a day to day situation, we can't use these talents," Ichigo said as he ran his hands through his hair. "Think about it. If we get ambushed in the middle of a shopping mall I can't do anything suspicious that will draw attention to us."

"Oh yes," I said, sarcasm in my voice. "Because a gun or a knife won't draw any attention at all. Besides, anyone who would attack us would probably be of… a different origin."

Ichigo was silent, contemplating my words. Personally, I did not see the point of his proposal. Humans were easy to deal with. We were always stronger than them.

And frankly, if Aizen's subordinates attacked us in the middle of a mall, I don't think a handgun or a pocket knife would deter someone so gutsy.

"Let's think about it for a while," Ichigo said finally. "Please? And don't tell Rukia. I don't need her panicking about the a weapon potentially giving Momo a panic attack."

"I don't see why it would," I said simply. "When Aizen attacked her we had no weapons other than our own powers."

"Still. Save me the lecture."

"Fine."

We sat there in silence for a few seconds before Ichigo looked at me and asked, "So, what do you plan to do about her?"

"I could ask you the same thing. I left you alone for ten minutes and you had practically undressed her."

"What else was I going to do? She's my pair." Ichigo said defensively.

"And I'm sure she'd love to know exactly how much fun you've had with all those mortal women," I snapped.

At this, Ichigo's eyes narrowed. "They are distractions, a means to waste time. Don't try and use that against me. You've done the same thing for the same reasons. Besides, they are mortals. They don't matter. They exist for a mere blink of our lives."

"We don't have lives."

"Fine," Ichigo said with a snarl. "Our existence. And don't try and change the subject by accusing me of something you've done too. Answer my question. What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to be patient like Rukia said," I answered.

"That's all?" Ichigo seemed slightly disappointed.

"That's all I can do. She has lost her ability to detect what we are. I'm going to be patient. I'll get her to like me as a human and then a friend and maybe then I'll be able to try and convince her that I am indeed her pair." I paused. "I just… I just don't think it's a good idea right now to try and shove memories and evidence down her throat."

Ichigo nodded. "That does sound like a good plan. It is a little… startling to see one of us so weak. Did you see how skinny she is?"

"We can't even eat and she's lost weight. Her body must have been using more energy to repair itself than she could manifest." I looked at my shoes. "It worries me. I hate being worried. I hate most of the emotions that come with humanity."

"Same," Ichigo said. "If I tell you this, you can't tell Rukia. Okay?"

I nodded, promising my silence.

"Did I wrong her?"

This question caught me off guard. Trying to hide my blatant look of surprise, I turned to Ichigo and asked, "What do you mean by 'wronger' her?"

"Well," Ichigo began. "I've traveled Earth wooing women and now that I've met her and realized that she may just be the prettiest one of them all, I feel dirty."

"Dirty?" I asked, honestly surprised. "But you were all over her? Besides, like you said, those women are distractions. I wouldn't be surprised if both of them have treated mortal men with the same regard."

"Maybe that's why I was so eager to take her," Ichigo said. "I wanted to just make sure that right there and then she was mine."

"There's nothing stopping you now."

"Just the guilt."

"Explain," was all I said.

"I was trying to get her in bed ten minutes after realizing who she was. Toshiro, we are never… and I mean _never_ apart. We used to handle our responsibilities together. It's been eight months and I don't know anything about what she has been through. That comes first."

I smiled. He may be a little impulsive, but Ichigo's heart was always at the right place when it came to Rukia.

"Besides," he continued. "I don't think overwhelming displays of affection will help Momo right now."

I laughed. "No it won't. Now are you going to take a shower first or will I?"

"You can. I really don't want to go out." Ichigo said. "I'm not feeling it, but whatever. I'll suck it up after another thirty minutes in bed."

Of all the powers we do possess, we lack the ability to time travel.

If I had this power, I would go back in time to encourage Ichigo to follow his instinct and refuse to go out to dinner.


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: I wasn't going to update, but someone just followed this story so I decided too. Believe it or not, the follows make me want to update faster than the reviews, so if you want to motivate me, follow my story and let me take you along for a-hopefully- great ride! And thank you to everyone who has left a review. They are so insightful and detailed and I really love reading them and seeing what you think about this piece.

"Humans are funny."

At this, I looked up from fixing my makeup at the sink and turned towards Momo. She was sitting on one of the matching queen beds in our hotel room. She appeared to be deep in thought and for a second I believed she had not meant to address me at all and was merely pondering out loud.

"Why do you say that?" I asked.

She shrugged. "Why, back when America was settling the West, did someone think it was a good idea to plant a city straight in the middle of the desert? This applies to Vegas well, not just Phoenix."

"I don't know. You know humans. They are rather stupid."

"I'll say," Momo said, rolling her eyes. "They have perhaps one of the best of the life sustaining planets and what do they do? Exploit it for all it's worth. Wasteful."

"They don't know how good they have it," I said. After deciding that my appearance was as good as it was going to get, I walked over and joined Momo on the bed. "Almost ready to go?"

She nodded. "If we must."

"I don't have to remind you, but I will anyway. Please try and play nice."

At this, Momo scowled. "It's not like I'm not going to be mean."

"It's just a gentle reminder. Don't forget your room key."

At this, Momo rolled her eyes and did not respond to me. She grabbed her small purse, slung it around one shoulder and followed me down the hall and to the elevator.

The hotel we were at had been selected by Ichigo. For some reason, Ichigo will suggests places to go or stay and Toshiro will agree without question. I guess this made Ichigo the de facto leader of the group.

The hotel was large, with hallways spanning in every direction. With ten stories, it was crowded with plenty of guests, providing the perfect cover for our stay. The lobby itself was also a swirl of commotion. Instead of a traditional sitting room, this hotel had chosen to transform its lobby into a miniature lagoon complete with palm trees, a waterfall and a large, sprawling koi pond.

It was by a section of the koi pond that Momo and I spotted Toshiro and Ichigo patiently waiting on a bench.

"Hi," Ichigo said upon his arrival. He smiled, but I could not help but notice that this grim was no longer ear to ear. Perhaps our awkward argument in the car was still on his mind.

"Ready to go?" I said.

Both of the boys nodded and stood up. Slowly the group made our way to our car.

"Where are we going?" Momo asked.

"Tempe," Ichigo said. "I've heard the night life there is great."

"I'm down for whatever," Toshrio said as I nodded in agreement.

Once it was clear that everyone was fine with Ichigo's plan, we loaded the car and began to make the short journey to Tempe. We found an urban-themed bar shortly after parking and sat down inside to escape from the brutal heat.

"Can I interest you in an appetizers?" Our attractive female waitress asked us shortly after we had taken our seats.

"No thank you. The drink menu will do," Toshiro answered with a soft smile. It was clear that the waitress was smitten with Ichigo and Toshiro's looks. She smiled at them before looking at Momo and I sternly. "I'll be right back with those."

"Do women always act like such idiots around you?" I asked, more out of curiosity than spite.

"Oh yeah," Ichigo said with a shrug. "Looks like these...the ladies come running."

I snorted.

"Hey now, hey now, no judging," Ichigo said, looking at me with one eyebrow cocked. "Like you, living in Las Vegas and all, never used your looks to get what you wanted."

He was right, of course. I merely shrugged off his comment and began to study the drink menu.

After we were a few rounds of drinks deep, the mood at the table had relaxed. I'm not entirely sure why alcohol affects us, but it does. It's similar to caffeine. Our bodies reject all food, but any stimulants or depressants present in liquid is eagerly accepted.

By the fifth round, even Momo had begun to talk openly with our male companions.

"No really," Momo said with a laugh. "That's actually a thing in Vegas."

"I just don't get it!" Ichigo said with equal amounts of cheer. "Why would you dress up in costumes and stand on the sidewalk?"

"Why would you build one of the largest tourist destinations in a desert?" I answered. "Vegas is a different kind of place."

The three of us were joking and telling light hearted stories about the strange activities of humans. Besides Ichigo, Toshiro did not seem to keen on joining in. Perhaps he was as serious as his appearance made him seem, or maybe he was still a little butt-hurt from the events surrounding Momo. No matter the reason, he sat there merely nodding along to our conversation without making any major contributions. Finally, I had had enough.

"Yo, Toshiro, why are you so quiet all of a sudden?"

Toshiro looked at me, his turquoise eyes sullen. "I think we are being watched."

"Don't be stupid," Ichigo said with a laugh. "It's probably just a few drunk guys checking us out. We are a good looking group."

"I'm being serious," Toshiro said as he raised his glass to his lips to take a sip of his scotch. "Ichigo, look over at the far booth- come on at least try and be inconspicuous- and tell me what you think."

Besides Toshiro, Ichigo attempted to nonchalantly glance over at a booth on the other side of the bar. Neither Momo nor I turned around to get a glance at what the two men were looking at. It would have been far too obvious if we blatantly turned around.

"You mean the emo looking kid sitting next to a punk with bright blue hair?" Ichigo asked.

"Yeah them," Toshiro said. "They have been looking at us with a little too much interest since we first sat down."

"Don't be ridiculous," Ichigo said. "It's probably a coincidence. You're just being para-" Ichigo stopped mid sentence as his eyes grew wide. Clearly, one of the two mysterious suspects had done something to startle him. "Fuck. You're right."

"What do you mean he's right?" I asked. "What's with the sudden change of heart?"

"The guy with the blue hair looked over, made eye contact with me, gave me this broad grin and then winked at me. Winked. Who winks unless it's for effect?"

I swallowed. If both the guys were unsettled by the men outside my line of sight, that was reason enough to be nervous. Besides me, Momo shifted in her seat.

"Do they, um, do they look like they could be... different?" Momo's voice was hesitant, as though she did not truly want an answer.

"Well, this one kid has hair as blue as the sky."

"People dye their hair," I said quickly.

"Ichigo and I don't," Toshiro said with a frown. "And this other one just... I'm not sure how to explain it. He seems like more trouble, as though he would be the quiet but highly deadly type."

"So final co census, normal or not?"

"Not," both Ichigo and Toshiro said in unison.

"Now what?" Momo asked. One look at Momo and it was clear that she was incredibly anxious. I would never tell her, but I was perhaps more concerned for her at this time than myself. I could handle myself just fine, but Momo was still weak from her injuries.

"Now, I'll put money on the table and we need to find a way to leave," Toshiro said as he quickly finished his drink. The rest of the table followed suit. After all, it would have been a shame to let such quality alcohol go to waste.

"I say we split up," Ichigo said. "You two ladies go to the girls room and instead of coming back, leave. Toshiro and I will sit here for a bit before making it obvious that we are trying to get away."

"That's not a bad plan," I said, gathering my purse. "Come on, Momo."

Momo stood up and followed me to the ladies room. As we stood up, we were able to catch a glimpse of the two mysterious men we previously had our backs turned too.

Sure enough, as Ichigo had described, one of the men sported bright blue hair. He was leaning casually against the booth, twirling the straw in a circle inside his glass. He had a large, demeaning smile plastered on his face as he spoke to his partner. His partner was pale, ghostly even, and had long black hair that framed his face. His eyes appeared sullen and sad and as he conversed with the blue haired man, his face gave no sign of emotion.

Thankfully, neither of them glanced over at Momo and I as we made our way to the ladies room that was conveniently located at the front of the bar. Once inside the ladies room, Momo and I began to fully assess the situation.

"Toshiro's right. They have a strange energy about them," I said as I distracted myself with putting on lipgloss.

Besides me, Momo frowned. "Fuck this. I can't tell anything is strange about them."

As soon as I decided that my appearance was fine enough to stop messing with, I turned to Momo. "Just stay close to me."

"Of course," Momo said with a nod. "But don't do anything stupid. Promise me. I'm getting stronger. I don't need you sacrificing yourself because I'm not as strong or fast."

"I can't help it," I answered honestly. "Sacrifice is a key part of me."

Momo sighed. I knew she understood that while sacrifice fell under my attributes of balance, it was not the answer she wanted to hear. "Please just let me try and handle it. We need you. You can go being stupid."

"Fine," I said. "Now are you ready? We told the boys we would meet them at that mall we passed when driving here, two miles up the road. We need to get going before those men notice we aren't coming back."

Momo nodded and followed me out the door. We quickly went straight out the front of the bar with little trouble and began to make our way down the main road. Ichigo had suggested we use the main road for a few reasons. The first was that it was fairly busy with pedestrians and considering that both Momo and I were quite short, we could easily blend in. The second was that talking back alleyways was exactly what was expected of us.

The boys didn't say so, but I had a feeling they were going to get there by hopping from roof to roof. If Momo were stronger, that would have been my desires method.

Momo reached for my hand and I gladly took it. Her cold palm provided me with some comfort as we set out in the desert night.

We had made it about a mile or so without incident and both of us let up on our brisk pace a bit.

Momo then turned to me. "Do you think they are alright?"

Before I could answer, there was a deafening crash that resounded through the air, followed by a series of cries. We both turned in the direction of the commotion.

What we saw sent my heart to the pit of my stomach.

Ichigo and Toshiro were indeed on the roof, but they were not alone. A few feet from them, the blue haired man and his dreary companion stood waiting for the Lightbringers to make their next move.

The crash seemed to have come from a cave in of the roof of an adjacent building. Obviously, Ichigo and Toshiro had attempted to thwart their assailants by collapsing the floor from underneath their very feet. This had failed in two ways. The attackers appeared to be of an elevated ability advanced enough to escape this trick. This also brought the small group to the attention of the crowd in the streets.

As soon as I spotted Ichigo and Toshiro on the roof, Ichigo managed to locate me in the crowd. "Go! Go! Take Momo and go!"

Besides me, Momo was paralyzed with fear, her eyes wide as she tried to take in the sight before her. Reluctantly, I grabbed her hand, effectively pulling her out of her daze. "Momo! We have to go!"

Without another word, Momo nodded and followed me as we began to run as fast as we could (while still being believable to the many humans around us).

Little did we know that the two mysterious men had caught sight of us and were quick to abandon Ichigo and Toshiro in exchange for new targets.

A/N: so here is the next chapter! I hope to get the next one out within the week. This part is one of the few scene I've had in my head since this little story dropped in my head. Hopefully, part 2 of it all won't take that long. Anyway, I would love for a review or two!


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: I'm back with a quick little update. I actually wrote all of this standing in my kitchen cooking dinner. It's not the best... I wanted to get it out quickly for all of you, but the next one should be nice and put together. So until then, Please review!

I'm not new to suffering.

As the keeper of ice and snow, I supervised both the destruction of Napoleon's army and the Nazi army as each tried to invade Russia before being stopped by the cruel Russian winter. I watched as an iceberg scraped open the hull of Titanic, sending hundreds to their death.

I'm not new to pain.

Despite the horrors I have overseen to keep the delicate balance on Earth alive, I have, not once, suffered a feeling of overwhelming helpless.

They call it panicking.

Panic is another emotion I have never experienced before becoming trapped in my mortal body. The list is steadily growing longer.

As I stood on the roof, contemplating the situation before me, the unknown feeling of panic began to creep up on me until it had fully engulfed my being. Ichigo and I stood there for a brief moment, frozen partially from fear and partially from disbelief, as our two assailants quickly stopped pursuing us. We watched in horror as we realized that they had new targets in mind.

I looked down at the busy street to assess the situation. About a hundred yards away, Rukia had Momo by the hand as the two ran away from their attackers. To my right, Ichigo did not hesitate as he jumped off the roof to chase down the mysterious men and prevent them from reaching the girls.

I followed. By the time we hit the ground, our two targets were shuffling through the crowd a good distance in front of us. Farther along the sidewalk, the girls had escaped from view. I told myself that they had managed to find cover while Ichigo and I took care of the men.

I must add that it is incredibly difficult to be in such a difficult situation when surrounded by humans. Momo and Rukia have the full capability of running faster than any car, yet such a speed would not go unnoticed by the few hundred pedestrians enjoying the cool desert night in downtown Tempe. They would have to evade their enemies without relying on such powers, just like Ichigo and I would have to subdue them without amplified abilities as well.

We chased the men down the sidewalk for a good block before the two suddenly took a sharp left turn. We followed without hesitation, eager to catch up. Upon reaching the corner, we were halted in our tracks.

The man with the spiky blue hair was standing in the middle of the alleyway we had turned down. He was grinning madly from ear to ear and his hands were placed eagerly on both hips. His melancholy companion was nowhere to be seen.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here?" The man asked with a chuckle. "I think we have a couple of Lightbringers far from home."

Upon hearing this name, my stomach turned. So it was true. These were creatures of a darker power, creatures who knew our secrets. I frowned. Amplified abilities would not be of much help now. We could ran fast in comparison to a human, but to such agents of darkness we were almost equal in talent.

"What do you want from us?" Ichigo asked beside me.

"I'm here on orders," the man said as his eyes glowed with delight.

"You work under him, don't you?" I asked cooly.

The man shrugged. "Do you even have to ask?"

I didn't, but hearing it confirmed helped steady my heartbeat for all of a second. That's when it dawned on me. "Ichigo, we can't let him keep doing this. He's distracting us so that his partner can hunt down Momo and Rukia."

"You catch on quick," the man said with a smirk.

"Go," Ichigo said to me as he raised two fists to the man. "Go Toshiro. Try and find the girls and help them. I have this fight."

"Are you-"

"GO," Ichigo said before I could finish my sentence.

Reluctantly, I began to take a few steps back from the fight scene that was beginning to brew. As I continued to walk away, I grimaced as Ichigo's unnamed opponent mirrored him and placed two fists in the air before throwing a punch straight into Ichigo's jaw. The blow set Ichigo back a few feet as he stumbled to keep his balance. Nevertheless, after wiping his lips, Ichigo returned to face his attacked and delivered an equal blow. As his opponent began to wind up for another swing, I turned around. Watching anymore would distract me from my true goal of reaching and helping out the girls.

I began to run down the sidewalk, looking for them wherever I went. After a few minutes, I had not encountered either the women nor their hunter and my level of panic was beginning to hit an unprecedented high. The more alleys and roads that I took, the more worried I became. As the seconds ticked on, I moved past panick and began to experience another emotion entirely: desperation.

I was moments away from my breaking point when I realized that, as my mind grew clouded with an uncontrollable cloud of panic and despair, my feet had grown a mind of their own. I was making turns and changing directions without thinking and my heart almost stopped in my chest when, at long last, I caught the smallest glimpse of the objects of my pursuit running a few hundred yards in the distance.

Perhaps Ichigo is not the only one with an instinct for location afterall.

As I continued to run, I began to assess the situation before me. Momo and Rukia were backed against the wall of a tall brick building. We were in a dimly lit alleyway, far from public eye, and in the little light available, I would see the fear clearly etched on Momo's face. Besides her, Rukia looked slightly more composed, but she too was not without fear. Standing against the other wall of the alleyway was the gloomy face assailant that had separated from his bright-haired companion.

"What do you want with us?" I heard Rukia call out. Her voice was remarkably calm and collected considering the magnitude of the situation.

"We have orders," the man said with little expression in his voice. "I am to abduct you and bring you back to the boss."

"Who the hell are you anyway?" Rukia asked, clearly not satisfied with the earlier answer.

"Does it matter who I am?" The man said. "Please do not make this any more difficult than it will be. There is no point to on struggling. I am stronger than you and will overpower you. But if you must know, my name is Ulquiorra. Not that it matters. You gain no advantage with this bit of information."

By now I was close enough to the situation that both the girls and Ulquiorra were aware of my presence. Nevertheless, Ulquiorra began to walk towards the girls. Instinctively, Rukia moved in front of Momo, her instincts instructing her to protect her weaker counterpart.

"Stay away from them!" I yelled as I began to charge towards Ulquiorra.

Before my fist could make contact, I found myself thrown on my back. Ulquiorra had reacted faster than I could blink. He had grabbed my fist and used my own weight against me to propel me straight into the ground. I blinked furiously as I gasped for air. The impact had taken the wind out of me. As soon as I regained my focus, I realized that a fist was hurtling towards me. I quickly rolled to the left and registered the satisfying sound of the fist hitting the mark and crashing into the concrete. A loud yell filled the air as my attacker screamed in pain, but the voice did not come from the gloomy man who had first thrown me into the ground. With a sinking feeling in my heart, I realized that Ichigo and his blue-haired opponent had rejoined us. It was the blue haired man who had tried to hit me the second time. He was standing above me, knuckles raw with blood and eyes wide with hate.

A few feet away, Ichigo was furiously atttempting to land any sort of blow on Ulquiorra. For every hit, jab, punch or kick he threw, Ulquiorra dodged it with skill. It was as if he was playing a mere game with Ichigo, waiting for him to exercise all his energy before attempting to strike back.

"Toshiro! Behind you!" Ichigo called out as he sent yet another punch towards Ulqiorra.

I turned just in time to find the blue-haired man charging towards me. His eyes were gleaming in anticipation, as though he was thoroughly enjoying himself.

This time, I was prepared and jumped out of the way. As I flew in the air, I managed to kick the man square on the back, causing him to stumble and almost fall.

"Don't be sloppy Grimmjow," Ulquiorra said. Despite the fact that he was meeting Ichigo hit to hit, his voice was still calm and level.

Grimmjow. So that was the man of the blue-haired man with the glaring blue eyes. A crazy name for a crazy man. It was fitting.

We continued to fight our opponents. After a few minutes it became clear that we were incredibly even in ability and talent. For every hit we landed, they managed a blow. After several minutes with little progress, Ichigo and I began to think that perhaps we would be fighting forever.

This thought was far too reckless.

Just as I was preparing to dodge a blow, I was startled to find none coming my way. I opened my eyes- they had naturally closed as I wince in preparation for a hit- and found that Grimmjow was nowhere in front of me.

"MOMO! RUKIA!"

The blood-curdling scream came from Ichigo. He was staring wide eyed as Grimmjow and Ulquiorra stood in front of him with large smirks on their faces. The pair, apparently tired of the endless battle, had managed to break away from the fights. Fast enough to go unnoticed, they had managed to go to the corner of the alley where the girls had been standing trapped and wide-eyed as they watched us fight off our attackers. The pair were now dangerously close to the girls and with another few steps would be ready to engage them in battle.

"What do you say Ulquiorra? Should we up the anty and show them the true extent of our power?" Grimmjow asked. He looked at Ichigo straight in the eye. "You move one step and the girls die. Do you understand?"

In their corner, Momo and Rukia stood their ground, but the terror in their eyes was unmistakable.

"Whatever, let's just get this over with," Ulquiorra answered.

"Perfect," Grimmjow said as a sadistic smile crossed his face. He held up his palm and a light blue light began to shine off his skin. "Are you two sweethearts ready for this?"

"I'm ready for anything," Rukia answered as she once again stepped in front of Momo.

"Rukia! Don't!" Ichigo cried, yet he continued to stand his ground. The light slowly growing from Grimmjow's palm prevented him from acting. He was unsure of what it was capable of doing and did not want to hurt the situation by reacting irrationally.

A second later, a loud thud was heard as a blue light filled the air. The girls instinctively ducked as a ray of light shot past them and towards the brick wall of the building behind them.

I gasped as my mind registered the hole in the wall. Apparently the light emitted from Grimmjow's hand was strong enough to blast through concert. It was also clear that this shot was intended to merely show off his ability. The spot in the wall was quite higher than either Momo or Rukia stood.

"Now that you know what's going to happen to you, who should I hit first?" Grimmjow asked as his eyes went from Momo to Rukia and back again before finally setting on Momo. "You. You're the weak link. Let's help your friends out by removing them of you as a burden."

The next few seconds seemed to last for minutes. As Grimmjow began to fire off the shot at Momo, Rukia instinctively jumped in the way of the beam, only to grabbed by Ichigo had dared to intervene. As Ichigo grabbed Rukia, he knocked Ulquiorra onto the ground.

"Now Toshiro!" Ichigo said, looking at me. "Take Momo and run!"

I knew what was coming. He was going to break the ultimate rule and use his powers. As soon as I reached for Momo's hand, a bright black light filled the air as Ichigo's energy began to surge. I pulled Momo closer to myself and, summoning my own energy, sent us flying into the air. The last thing I could make out was a large, black cloud as Ichigo's final blow demolished the block we had just been fighting on.

I did not turn back for Ichigo. Instead, I held on tighter to Momo and continued forward without looking back.


	13. Chapter 13

First there was a dark black light. Then there was a deafening sound. After that there was nothing at all and the world was lost to me as I shifted to unconsciousness.

It was low groan from my right that finally brought my mind out of the dark cloud it had fallen into. My eyes shot open as I began to remember the earlier events.

We had been attacked and in a moment of panic, Ichigo had simultaneously saved and doomed us all.

Another low groan sounded out and I turned to see Ichigo laying next to me. We were lying on the ground in a location I did not know. All around us were grass and trees and the scene would have been quite serene if not for the apparent skid marks our bodies had made on the greenery as we crash landed from the sky and onto the grove we were currently lying in. It appeared we had landed in a park. The sound of children laughing and the creaking of a rusting swing set not far off confirmed my beliefs. So far, we had gone unnoticed and I was grateful for this.

As another low moan sounded from Ichigo's mouth, I began to fully assess the situation at hand.

We were screwed.

"Get up!" I barked at Ichigo as I stood up myself and began to straighten out the wrinkles that had developed in my clothes. "Get up, get up, get up."

Ichigo moaned and turned towards my voice. He cracked open a single eye. "Stop yelling," he grunted.

"What the hell was that?" I asked as I moved towards Ichigo.

With one last groan, he finally stood up and looked back at me. "What the hell was what?"

"Why did you... did you... you know, use that back there?" I asked. "You have no idea what you have potentially done. Earth is not built to handle that kind of impact!"

"I panicked, okay!" Ichigo cried.

I did not answer back. It was clear in his eyes that Ichigo fully regretted his earlier display of power. There was a reason that we Lightbringers were banned from using our divine powers. The strength of the cosmic energy in even the slightest blow was enough to unsettle the delicate nature of habitable planets. For all we know, Ichigo's blast could have evaporated all the water in the Colorado River or created a crater the size of Connecticut.

"I shouldn't have done that," Ichigo said after a few tense moments of silence. "But I panicked. They were going to kill you. What the hell Rukia?! Why were you going to try and save Momo?"

I was silent. I knew Ichigo understood that sacrifice was apart of my character, as both a Lightbringers and an entity in general, but this was not the answer he wanted to hear.

"They can't kill me," was all I said. These words came out as little more than a whisper.

"You don't know that," Ichigo said, eyes wide with despair. "Look at what they did to Momo."

"They didn't do that," I said, desperate to call him down. "He did. They are nothing more than his servants. Do you think they harness the same powers?"

"I don't know."

I didn't either, but in order to save the small amounts of sanity I had left, I was trying to desperately convince myself that this was the case.

"You still shouldn't be so reckless," Ichigo mumbled.

"Neither should you," I said. "You could have blown up all of Phoenix for fuck's sakes. And where the hell are we anyway?"

"I don't know," Ichigo said as he looked around. We must have been deep in the middle of whatever park, grove or field we had landed in, for there were no buildings within view.

I pulled out my phone and was shocked to find that, despite the screen being shattered by the impact of our landing, the device itself still functioned fine.

"Fuck."

Ichigo looked at me, eyes wide with apprehension. "What is it?"

"You really did it this time," I said with a frown. "If this is still working, it says here that we are smack dab in the middle of Colorado."

"Shit." Ichigo reached into his back pocket and pulled out the shattered remains of his own cell phone. "Well, mine's dead. Demolished even. There's no way I can reach Toshiro. Try calling Momo."

I nodded and immediately dialed her number. It went straight to voicemail.

"Nothing," I said. I tried to Toshiro's number. "Both of their phones went straight to voicemail."

"Oh good," Ichigo said as he ran one hand through his orange mane. "Now what?"

"Why are you asking me? You're the one who got us into this mess."

"Fine," he said. "We should probably be trying to find the closest town or something. We need some new clothes. Look at us."

It was only after this comment that I realized the state Ichigo and I were in. His polo shirt was singed all along the bottom of the shirt and the top of his collar had a small hole in it. His hair, an already tangled mess of orange locks, was even more disheveled than before. His face, though unharmed, was covered in traces of ash and dirt from the explosion he had caused earlier.

As for myself, the white shirt I had been wearing was now stained beyond recognition. It was splattered in dirt, dust and all along the sides and back were long green stains from sliding along the grass field during our crash landing. My shorts were in a similar state and I shuddered to think about the current appearance of my hair.

"And a bath," I said sighing.

"That too," Ichigo began to look around. "You're the one with the phone. Where too?"

I pulled out my phone and typed in "Target". To our luck, there seemed to be a town- with such a store- a mere three miles from our current location. I motioned to Ichigo the way and we began to walk.

"Do you think they are alright?" I asked after awhile.

"Momo and Toshiro? Yeah I'm sure they are fine." There was a layer of confidence in Ichigo's voice that brought me a great deal of comfort. "Toshiro is tough and he'll look after Momo. They got away from the blast, at least I clearly remember them headed away from it."

"Who the hell were those guys?" I asked. "Last time we encountered them in the sky, they were nothing more than mindless imbeciles. Now... Now they are strong and fast and..."

"Lethal. Or at least we think."

"We think?"

"Yeah," said Ichigo. "We are supposed to be immortal. Momo may have been in a coma, but she did not die. Maybe we can't die. Maybe all we can do is slip from consciousness. I still don't want to be the one to test it though."

"I guess. But when we are unconscious, we still govern our domains. The worlds did not slip into unbalanced chaos during Momo's coma," I reasoned. "If the goal is to truly destroy the order of things they will be looking for a way to kill us."

"Then let's hope they never find a way."

We continued to walk through the park. We were a sight for sore eyes and nearly every human we passed stared at us, as though trying to figure out why two young adults would be strolling along in such a state. After a while, Ichigo took my hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. I knew what he was thinking. We had to keep a calm facade and the feeling of his warm palm against mine brought me endless comfort.

When we finally reached the end of the park, we found ourselves in the middle of a neighborhood. Using the gps on my phone, we managed to find the direction of the Target and continued our walk.

"My phones dying," I said as I held it up to check directions.

"We can buy a charger," Ichigo said simply. "At least I still have my wallet."

"Do you have cash?" I asked quickly.

"Yeah, always. Why?"

"I just... I don't think it's a good idea for us to use cards right now. That's too traceable."

"Well, I'll have to get more money out eventually," Ichigo said. By now, we had reached the end of the neighborhood and were directly across the street from a typical suburban strip mall, complete everything from Lowes, to Target to Starbucks. "But for now, we can use what cash we have."

We entered the target and immediately headed for the clothing departments. After selecting the simplest sundress I could find, I paid at the cashier and quickly went to the bathroom to dispose of my battle worn clothes. After a good fifteen minutes of detangling my hair, removing the makeup smears cascading down my face, and wiping off the dirt that had settled in a lightlayer on my skin, I finally decided that I looked relatively human. I exited the bathroom and began to look for Ichigo.

I found him standing in line at the Starbucks inside the Target. He had purchased an outfit almost as identical as the one he had on before, but this time the polo did not look as though he had been recently immersed in flames. I rolled my eyes as I realized that his hair was still a complete and utter mess.

"I need a coffee," he said to me as I joined him in line.

"Same," I said. "Maybe some shots of espresso on ice."

"Oh my goodness, the news just keeps getting worse."

Both Ichigo and I were drawn to the direction of the comment. It was the woman standing right in front of us in line. She had out her phone and was scrolling through something. I could not read as she updated the friend she was standing with.

"It says here that Phoenix officials believe it to be the worse gas explosion in American history."

At the word Phoenix, both Ichigo and I immediately grew startled.

"I'm sorry ma'am," I spoke up. "But what are you talking about? My phone is dead so I can't check myself."

"That's alright young lady," the woman said with a smile. "I'm just looking at the article regarding the explosion in Phoenix. 200 casualties. Can you imagine? All because one pipe decided to explode yesterday."

My mind shook at her words. 200 casualties? Yesterday?!

Besides me, Ichigo shook his head in a rather convincing fashion. "It's a shame," Ichigo said. "A little bit of faulty engineering and all this loss. You'd think with the taxes we pay, they'd be able to build things correctly the first time."

"Exactly," the woman said before she and her friend turned to order their coffees.

As soon as the women had stopped paying attention to Ichigo and I, I slapped him hard across the stomach. He turned to me, eyes wide.

"Ow, stop being so aggressive."

"What was that?" I mouthed the words so no one would hear.

Ichigo shrugged. "What people wanted to hear."

We order our coffee and sat down at the small seating area to drink it. After a few blissful sips of caffeine, Ichigo and I seemed less irritated with both the situation and each other.

"Now what?" I asked when we were almost done.

"I want to watch the news," Ichigo said. "If 200 people really did die, it's all my fault." He was much more somber than his previous discussion with the woman earlier. He would not say so, but his eyes shine with guilt.

"Don't feel guilty," I said, reading his thoughts. "You had too."

"But still, 200 lives is a lot."

It was, but I did not think we needed to dwell on this fact.

"Ichigo, you had too. Our lives are much more important than 200 people. I know it's a terrible thing to say-"

"-it's a downright shitty thing to say-" Ichigo interrupted.

"Well, it's a terrible thing to say, but the two of us have to stay alive. If we had died, it wouldn't have mattered if those 200 would have lived because beings across the worlds would have been affected if the balance were to be thrown off."

Ichigo pursed his lips at these words. He knew I was right, but I could sense his deep reluctance to acknowledge so. His eyes still shine with guilt and I suspected that such a daunting feeling would not disappear after nothing more than a short pep talk. No, it would take time. Though Ichigo had done the right thing, he would need a bit to come to terms with what happened.

"Fine," said Ichigo. "We don't have to watch the news. Have you tried calling Momo or Toshiro again?"

I shook my head. "Should I?"

"Yeah," Ichigo said as he finished his latte. "Their phones may have just been dead. At least, let's hope so." Ichigo pulled out the destroyed remains of his phone and set it on the table. "I'd say let's get me another one, but after finding out people are following us, it may be best to just go without." He stood up and threw the remains in the trash can. "Ready to go?"

"Not until you buy a comb first and take care of that nest you call hair."

Ichigo scowled. "My hair is perfectly fine how it is."

I ignored Ichigo as I pulled out my phone and dialed Momo's number only to hear a recorded message answer.

 _I'm sorry, but the person you are trying to reach is unavailable._

I frowned. It seemed clear that Ichigo and I were going to have to deal with things alone for awhile. My thoughts went to Momo and I began to hope that, wherever she was, Toshiro would look after her.

A/N: here is another chapter! I don't know when my next update be (hopefully not too far off), but please leave a review in the meantime. I know there was not a lot of fluff, but there is a time and a place for that, so just wait and see folks.


	14. Chapter 14

Ichigo and I rented a room in a small hotel not far off from the target. We shuffled into the hotel room quickly and silently, both of us exhausted and in deep desire of a shower.

With no solid plan and no success in contacting either Toshiro and Momo, the two of us had decided that the best plan of action was to lay low until we had a chance to fully think our situation- and next course of action- through. We payed for the hotel in cash, tipping the employee heavily. For our part, we figured that two young adults paying for a cheap hotel room was not that out of the ordinary. Surely we were just a young couple looking to temporarily hide away from the world and enjoy our night.

This could not be further from the truth.

The tension between Ichigo and myself had only intensified since our arrival in Phoenix, but the original, sexually charged tension had been replaced with one as fragile as glass. It seemed as though both of us had retreated to a realm of caution, careful not to say or do too much.

Ichigo claimed the shower first, so I found myself sitting on the bed, channel surfing. Every news channel that came onto the screen said the same thing, covering the story in Phoenix. I grimaced.

I'm not cruel. I embody light and self-sacrifice. Humans may be mortals, leagues and leagues underneath us in terms of power, intelligence, and strength, but they were still living beings. To know that over 200 humans had died for simply being in the vicinity of our battle with our unknown enemies made my heart sink. My mouth grew dry at the thought of the mothers, brothers, sisters, and fathers that had accidentally been lost to this world.

"I know what you're thinking. You should try and let it escape your mind. Dwelling on it won't help anyone."

I looked up to find Ichigo standing in the doorway of the bathroom dressed in nothing but his newly purchased target pajamas. With one hand, he was using a towel to dry his mane of hair. He was looking at me, intently, as though trying to determine my thoughts.

"This shouldn't have affected anyone else. This is our war, not theirs," I said as my eyes returned back to the television screen.

"You're failing to see the point," Ichigo said. He ignored the scowl that crossed my face at his comment and continued to make his point. "Two hundred casualties- I'm not saying that that is insignificant or that it doesn't matter… I'm just as bothered as you are- but at the end of the day, if we had been captured and… God I don't even want to think about it… but if something had happened to any of us, there would have been more than 200 casualties," Ichigo said matter of factly. "We are facing the first opponent in our existence that may possibly be able to kill us. Us. What would happen to the worlds if one of us died? Take Momo for instance. She governs the suns that bring life to thousands of planets. What would happen if she were to disappear? This tragedy managed to avoid something much, much worse."

In my heart, I knew Ichigo was correct, but I did not answer him aloud. Raising the remote, I turned off the TV, leaving the main part of the hotel room in darkness. I sat there on the bed, motionless.

Ichigo continued to stand in the doorway for several moments. Once it became clear that I had no intentions of reacting to his monologue, he walked over to me and sat down on the side of the bed. Cautiously he reached out to grab my hand. I did not pull away. His palm was warm against my own.

"I know it's hard when your very nature is to help those in need," Ichigo said, his voice barely a whisper. "But you forget, I'm meant to protect and I couldn't. If this mistake is anyone's fault, it is mine."

"It's not yours," I said after a while. "It's not yours and it's not mine. They are mortals after all. How many times have we sent them to their deaths in war, famine and flight? It just… it feels so different knowing that it is our fault directly. They would have never died had we not gone to Phoenix."

"Something tells me that sooner or later, those men would have found us," Ichigo said. "They seemed to know you and Momo."

"They were trying to finish Momo off," I said. "They could tell that she still hasn't fully regained her strength."

"Don't worry," Ichigo said as he moved to wrap his arm around my shoulder. I instinctively leaned into his side and rested my head against him. "Toshiro will protect her. He's a fighter."

"I'm not worried about that," I said. "Well, I mean, I kind of am. But I've begun to realize that my worry for Momo goes much more beyond her personal health. What about all the rest? What if someone else has been attacked or kill? I doubt those two monsters are the only ones of their kind."

"I doubt they are. But something in my gut tells me that everyone else has been unharmed. Nothing in this world seems to be insanely out of balance. Now you should probably go shower. No offense, but you stink."

I did not know whether or not to laugh at Ichigo or to be slightly offended at his comment. Instead, I playfully slapped him across the chest before going to gather my things for a shower.

The shower did wonders to my being. As the dirt and grime washed away, I felt as though some of the burdens of the last few days had not necessarily been lifted, but had been reduced in weight. My mind relaxed and only after a few minutes under the hot water did I realize how tense my body had been.

When I came out of the bathroom, Ichigo was already lying in his bed, fast asleep. The wear and tear of the last few days was clear on his face. Dark bags had developed underneath his eyes and his forehead showed clear signs of prolonged frowning. I moved quietly, careful not to make any noise that would disturb his sleep as I climbed into my own bed. The events of the day had finally caught up to me, and I had never felt more drained or more ready for bed. As soon as I pulled the covers back over me, I fell into a deep dreamless sleep.

"Rukia."

The word broke through my dreams, jerking me awake. I slowly opened my eyes to find Ichigo sitting up in his bed, facing me. He seemed to be watching me intently.

"Can I help you?" I asked, half annoyed he awoke me and half weirded out by the attention of his stare.

"I just wanted to make sure you were okay. You were talking in your sleep. It woke me." Ichigo said.

It was only then that I realized that the room was still dark. Looking at the clock on the nightstand I saw that it was a little before five.

"Talking in my sleep?"

"Yeah, you must have been in the middle of some awful dream."

"Funny," I said with a frown. "I don't remember any of it. It was a pretty dreamless sleep to me."

"Dreamless or not you kept mumbling something about blood and how it wouldn't stop bleeding," Ichigo said. The expression on his face was quilts, as though he felt bad for observing such a private occurrence.

"Well I certainly did not dream about blood. At least, not that I remember."

Ichigo nodded. "Well as long as you are alright. I just- I just wanted to make sure." He moved to lay down again and proceeded to pull the covers back over him. "You should try to go back to sleep, Rukia. It's still early."

"Yeah, I probably should," I said as I too retreated back into the comfort of my own hotel bed. Within a few moments, Ichigo's steady breathing made it clear to me that he was fast asleep.

This time, my nap was not so peaceful.

Explosions were going off around me, loud, powerful bangs that vibrated through the very core of your being. With each bang, clouds of dust and debris flew in the air. I was unsure where I was- the surroundings looked much like an abandoned city, now fresh in a layer of rubble- but where and why I could not tell you. The loud, prevalent bangs continued to pierce through the air. They were the only sounds I registered. Debris would fall onto the ground without a sound. If there was anyone else around me, I could not hear their screams.

Despite the state of my environment, I felt calm, even collected. It seemed as though my mind could not fully wrap itself around the threats around me. No, I was perfectly level in disposition.

I begun to walk through the city, kicking aside small pieces of rubble with each passing step. I encountered no one and kept on my way. My feet seemed to guide me, as I had no rational behind where I was going, despite each footstep being full of intent.

All around me, the explosions continued.

Perhaps an hour went by. Perhaps a day. I am unsure. In this world, time seemed to pass in a different fashion than my own. After walking along the endless path filled with debris, I seemed to realize that I had arrived at my unknown destination. I turned to my left to see a door that I would have sworn was not there a moment before. The door stood there in the road alone,clearly unattached to any building, yet I felt in my gut the necessity of opening it. I reached out for its handle and was startled to find the doorknob searingly hot upon touch. With a grimace, I fought through the pain to open the door. Through the frame, all I could see was black.

With a deep breath, I stepped through the doorway into darkness and away from the city of rubble.

That's when I saw red.

Unlike the pitch black darkness that had first shown through the doorway upon opening, as soon as I had stepped through the doorway, my senses had come alive. Screams filled the air that was thick with dust and smoke. The roar of fire came from behind and the air grew hot as the buildings fresh in my view caught flame. All around me bodies- blurred just enough to hide their faces- ran in every direction imaginable, trying to escape the disaster at hand.

But it was one scream that rose above all.

Laying on the floor, perhaps only 100 yards or so from my location was Momo. She was collapsed on the floor and even from this distance I could tell she was drenched in blood. Her blood.

I ran towards her, yet it seemed that the faster I ran, the farther apart we became. As I tried so desperately to break the distance between us, I watched in agony as Momo lay on the ground coughing up blood again and again. Her lips were covered in a read smear from the bloody bile and she shook violently. Before long, she fainted completely, losing my consciousness before seizing on the floor, her body as limp as a rag doll.

It was then that I realized that I was not just trapped in a dream, I was trapped in a memory.

I would never admit out loud the severity of the state Momo was in when I first found her on Earth and watching the scene replay in front of me while I tried so hard to reach her reminded me of the terror I felt that day. As Momo continues to seize uncontrollably, tears filled my eyes. The ground around her continued to darken with blood from a wound to her chest, the source of her bloody cough attacks. Her hands were clenched along the bottom of her shirt, her skin stained bright red. Everywhere you looked, Momo was covered in blood as she continued to spasm out of control. It was exactly like the scene I had found her, except this time, I was trapped by the boundaries of my dream and could not- no matter how fast I ran- go to her.

As I fought relentlessly to make up the distance between us, I watched with dismay as Momo stopped moving, her body going limp in the dirt damp from her blood as the fire raged around her. After a few moments, she had not moved and a blood curling scream escaped my lungs.

Only then did the rules of the dream allow me to move forward and reach Momo. By the time I reached her, I was trembling in fear. I knew what to expect and when I found her my heart drop.

Laying in my lap, her blood bleeding into my jeans- Momo was staring at me with a lifeless face.

For even immortal may die.

Unable to control myself, I let out a piercing scream as my consciousness returned and I sat up in my bed, once again the hotel room with Ichigo.

A/N: long time, no write! Well, I hope you guys like this and that is has been worth the wait. It's a bit darker, but nonetheless necessary. Let me know what you think by leaving a comment.

I should have an update for my other Bleach multific "Strictly Professional" tomorrow. It is almost done. Since I am not updating as often, I'm trying to make myself have updates that are longer than what I normally do. Anyways leave me a comment and let me know what you think!


	15. Chapter 15

A/N: Hello everyone! I am back! Now that summer has started and my semester has ended, I should be updating much more often. I am hoping to update at least weekly. For all those who read my other Hitsuhina story "Strictly Professional", that should be wrapping up in the next three or four updates, so keep an eye out for that. As always, thanks for the support and let me know what you think. Sorry the wait was so long, but life is life and responsibilities come first.

The pain invading my body was unbearable. As I wavered the line between consciousness, the only sensation in my attention was the pain that seemed to slice directly through the side of my body. My nerves were aflame and the throbbing was maddening. Each time I would begin to regain my senses, the pain would escalate to a point far beyond anything I had felt before.

I don't know how long I was laying there in limbo. It may have been minutes. It may have been hours. Hell, it may have been days.

After an endless stream of never-ending pain, relief finally arrived in the form of a cool liquid that was gently applied by unseen hands. Within seconds, the pain went from unimaginable to a tolerable throbbing. Finally, I could muster the strength to open my eyes.

I was inside, that much was evident from the ceiling fan directly above me. I had been moved from the outdoors of the city and far from the area of the explosion. Carefully, I turned my head to observe my surroundings. I was laying on the bed of a standard motel. The room was furnished unnoteable furniture and the blinds on the only window were tightly shut. I seemed to be alone.

A groan escaped my lips. To my left, an unseen door opened, presumably from the bathroom.

"Don't sit up. You may split your wound."

It was Momo. She was standing in the doorway, her shadow from the bathroom light sprawled along the wall, adding to the lonely feeling of the room. Her face looked tired. Her eyes were dark and sunken, with deep bags that had not previously been there. Her hair was eskew, with stray strands falling out of the clothed bun on her hair. In her hands she held a large bowl and a washcloth.

"How do you feel?" She asked me, her worn eyes not once leaving my face.

"Like I've been cut in two. What happened?" I asked. My voice cracked upon speaking, and only then did I realize how thirsty I was.

As if to read my mind, Momo walked over to my bedside and reached for a glass of water that had been sitting on the nightstand, waiting for me. She handed me the glass and tenderly placed her hand behind my neck, helping to support it as I lifted it up to drink.

"You sure gave it your best shot of being cut in half," Momo said after I had finished the glass of water. "You were cut all along your shoulder blade and down your body. Any human would be dead."

"Well, it's a good thing I'm not human," I said as I closed my eyes and grimaced. "How the fuck did I cut myself open?"

"I'm not entirely sure," Momo frowned. She walked over to the other side of the bed and sat down. She took the washcloth in her hand and dipped in into the large bowl she had placed on the floor minutes earlier. Wringing out the towel, she began to dab it alongside my wound. I could not hide the hiss that escaped my lips. "I don't know what happened. It was all a blur of sound and light and panic. I do know this, I was about to be attacked and you saved me. We both blacked out. When I came to, we were on some random roof covered in your blood. I've been caring for you since." She continued to clean the wound. Everywhere the washcloth touched immediately stopped stinging. "I used some of my powers to make this elixir. It should work with your own powers to help stimulate healing. Does it feel like it's helping?"

I nodded. "Yeah, the pain's beginning to go away."

"Good," Momo said. "It took two batches of this to even stop your healing. Whoever did this to you wasn't human and they most certainly are someone not to be underestimated."

We sat in silence as she continued to clean my wound. Only after several minutes of listening to nothing but our breathing, did it occur to me that Ichigo and Rukia were nowhere to be found.

"Momo, where are the others?" I asked, not sure if I wanted to know the answer. If I was this injured, I did not want to imagine the horrors that could have fallen upon the others.

"I don't know." Her voice was small and her gaze moved to avoid my eyes. "I have no way of contacting them, either. Both of our phones seemed to have been destroyed. It's just us."

It's just us. The words echoed through my head as I realized the gravity of the situation. Somehow, the two beings that had attacked us had succeeded in weakening us. If hunting us down was their true objective, not only had they managed to separate us, I was critically wounded.

I have never suffered injuries worth noting. It is in our power to heal. The vast majority of injuries I have sustained in the past have repaired themselves within minutes, causing only discomfort and perhaps slight inconvenience. The pain that wrecked my body was completely foreign. My stomach twisted into a thick complex of knots as I began to process the severity of this information. Momo's near death experience had not been a fluke after all. The monsters after us were very much capable of harming each and every Lightbringer.

"Now what?"

I was transported out of my deep realm of thought by Momo's timid question. She finished cleaning off my wound and walked over to place the bowl on the table adjacent from the bed. She then turned to face me, her face full of worry.

"I don't know," I said honestly. "We can't do anything until I'm healed."

"If it's anything like my wound, your body will be fighting the poison for a long time. I'm still not up to my full strength. You're lucky, though. You were only unconscious for a week. You should recover faster."

"A WEEK?!"

Momo simply nodded. "Consider yourself very lucky. I was expecting to be here for months."

"It's been a week and you haven't had any contact with Rukia and Ichigo?"

"I honestly haven't tried," Momo said. "Staying hidden has been my main priority until you awoke. If we had been discovered, I don't think I would have been able to protect the both of us."

"Help me stand up," I said as forced myself up into a sitting position with my hands. The wound in my side seemed to threaten to split open, but I ignored the pain and moved to drape my legs off the side of the bed. "Help me."

"Take it easy, you're not ready!" Momo said as she rushed to my side. "You need to lay back down."

"No, I need to be regaining mobility as soon as possible," I said, reaching out for her. I placed one hand on either shoulder and using all the force I could muster, brought myself to my feet. "We need to find the others as soon as possible. And by others, I mean all of them. All of them. If these creatures are capable of this much damage, it may be time to stop hiding. But before we can fight, we need to join back together."

"Don't push yourself too much right now!" Momo yelled, completely ignoring everything I had just said. "Lay back down immediately before you faint!"

Her warning came too late. In my burst of purpose, I had exerted too much energy. The next thing I knew, I went from standing up, carefully leaning on her for support, to collapsing on the floor with a resounding thud.

Perhaps patience was needed after all.


	16. Chapter 16

In the bed beside me Ichigo jerked, sitting up in bed with the fastest reflexes possible. "What happened? Was is it? Is someone here?"

"No," I gasped between breaths, my voice shaken and weak. "No, it's just… a bad dream."

I heard the rustling of sheets as Ichigo climbed out of his bed to join me on my own. Feeling the mattress dip at the addition of his weight, I did not move as one hand came towards me. Putting his hand on my chin, he turned my head to face him. "Look at me Rukia," he said, his voice stern. "What happened in your dream? And don't you dare tell me it was nothing. I thought you had been attacked with the way you screamed."

"It's just… Momo," I stuttered. "I was back with Momo when we first landed on earth. But this time, she was dead."

Ichigo did not reply right away. Instead, he just looked at me, his amber eyes large with worry. "You don't think..."

"No." I said, completing the unspoken thought. "I think we would know if anything had happened. At least I want to believe so."

Ichigo then moved to close the gap between us and wrapped his arms around me in a comforting embrace. Only after did I realize how much I was shaking. Even in the warmth of his hug, it seemed as though my body would not relax.

"You're trembling."

"I'm scared."

"I am too," Ichigo said. "If I must be honest."

I reached for his hand, entwining my fingers into his own. "Why is this happening to us? Did we make a mistake? Are we being punished?"

With his free hand, Ichigo moved to run his fingers through my hair. Slowly- very slowly- the trembling in my body had stopped and my breathing had almost returned back to normal. Still, I could do nothing to stop the onslaught of tears that had begun to leak from my eyes without permission. The presence of my tears enraged me. I was strong, brave, fearless. How dare the hidden evils of this world break my resolve in such a way.

"I don't know," Ichigo said after a while. "I don't know why this is happening. But I think we need to leave. We need to find the others, any of the others. We can't stay here hiding."

I nodded. Ichigo was right. While staying tucked in a hotel room away from the daily bustle of human civilization provided peace of mind, it would do nothing to help advance our cause. We needed to leave, we needed to be out there.

"So the question is, where do we go now?"

"East." The word came from Ichigo's mouth with as much confidence as possible. "We need to go east. And somehow we need to find a way to alert the others where we are."

"And how are we going to do that without being noticed by those… those things?" I asked. At the thought of the unknown beings that had chased us down in Phoenix, my body gave an involuntary shiver. Behind me, Ichigo wrapped his arms tighter around me.

"We're going to have to figure out a way," Ichigo said. "There has to be a way. We just haven't thought of it yet."

"Right."

Ichigo moved one of his hands up to my face and placed his palm delicately on my cheek. He tilted my head up to face his own, his deep amber eyes looking straight down at me. His eyes were wide and alert, but he couldn't hide the fatigue and worry that seemed to seep from their depths. "Don't worry. I'll protect you."

"I don't need protection," I muttered, but a small smile escaped my lips nonetheless.

"I'm not saying you do," Ichigo responded, his eyes still locked on mine. "But it is my job to protect you- to protect everyone- and I won't fail. No matter what, I will protect you."

I appreciated the sentiment, I really did. I knew it came from a place rooted deep in his character. He was the protector, in both position and personality. To mess with those that Ichigo held dear- there was no worse fate. But even knowing how deep his need to protect ran through his veins, I was still uneasy at Ichigo's determination to fight off all evil.

It's not that I have any reservations on Ichigo's powers. He's a great warrior, strong and persistent. Knock him down four times and he will get up five, with more vigor and aggression than the time before. He had always been one to reinvent the limits on what we Lightbringers could do. No, I had no worry about Ichigo protecting himself.

I worried about him being reckless.

The beings we were up against are so unknown to us we don't have a name for them. They follow Aizen without question. In appearance, they have little to no similarities, aside from a hole in their bodies. And once they covered that, the only telltale sign of their identity, they could be anyone. If it wasn't for the strong, negative energy that surrounded them, there would be no way to know who or where they were.

It is this mystery surrounding our enemies that had me so nervous, so anxious. In the past, Ichigo has often been brash- willing to fight anyone and everyone that has threatened his life. I did not want him to leap into a proper battle with these unprepared. I had seen what happened to Momo first hand. There was no room for foolishness. My dreams had reminded me as much.

"We should pack," I said.

Ichigo relaxed his hug. "Now?"

"Now. Why waste any time? What's the point? The longer we stay here the more time we are giving our enemies."

"Sure, sure," Ichigo said as he got up off the bed. The mattress relaxed at the removal of his weight. He walked over to one of the few chairs and picked up the small backpack we had purchased at Target the day before. Everything we now had fit in this backpack. He began stuffing our few possessions into it. We possessed so little that it took a mere matter of seconds before everything but a spare change of clothes had been packed. "Change so I can pack your pajamas." He tossed me my spare pair of clothes.

I got up and went to the bathroom of our hotel room. As soon as the door was clothes and the lights were on, did I take in how much of a mess I looked. I grimaced at my reflection. My eyes were sunken, exhausted, and blood-red from crying. I splashed some water on my face, relishing in the cool relief it brought.

After I had changed and combed my hair, I had managed to stop looking like a trainwreck. I left the bathroom and went to put my lone pair of pajamas in our backpack.

"I'm ready if you are," I said.

"Then let's go," Ichigo said. He picked up the backpack and slung it on one shoulder. "Time to find a car."

"How are we going to find a car?" I asked as I followed Ichigo out of the room.

"Oh… I have my ways," he answered sheepishly and pressed the button to summon the hotel elevator. "It's a little trick Urahara taught us. For when times get desperate. Although, frankly, I doubt he ever used this trick in an emergency."

"Great," I said, not sure if I was serious or sarcastic. We stepped into the elevator in silence. There was already an elderly couple standing quietly in one corner and neither Ichigo nor I wanted to be overheard. "I'll just follow you then," was all I said.

Ichigo nodded but did not respond.

Once we had exited the elevator, I followed Ichigo outside and into the parking lot. The sun was barely rising in the east and the sky was a brilliant mix of dark blues fading into a light, pleasant orange. The parking lot was empty. Most of the hotel's guest must have still been asleep.

"This one should do. Standard. Not very notable." Ichigo gestured to a small, silver Toyota a couple parking spots away from the two of us. "Now watch this."

Clapping his hands together, Ichigo placed one palm on the side of the car and the other directly on the door handle. After a few seconds, he muttered words I couldn't catch underneath his breath and the car suddenly hummed to life. Smiling, he pulled on the door handle and the door swung open.

"Neat huh? Urahara figured out how to channel the kido in a way that works with machines. Now get it. I don't want to be here when the owners of this car come."

"We are really just going to take the car?" I asked, one eyebrow raised in surprise. "I don't take you as a thief."

"I'm not a thief. I'm a desperate man trying to save the world from falling out of balance. Now will you just get in?"

Still a bit reluctant at the car-jacking currently underway, I went against my morals and climbed into the passenger seat. "This is wrong," I muttered as I fastened my seatbelt.

"If it helps to console you, I think these humans would rather be without a car than dead because we lost this war," Ichigo said. He began to reverse out of the parking lot. "Now let's go find the others."

 **A/N: So I know Ichigo can't use Kido- which I have never understood why not. Like never. It's so useful you'd think he would want to learn- but for the sake of this story he is going to have to have the ability to use Kido. I hope you enjoyed this. The next couple of chapters will be much more action packed and plot driven. Let me know what you think! Until next time.**


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